The best smartwatches for 2023

If you already have a smartphone, you may be wondering why you need a smartwatch. Perhaps the most useful feature of a smartwatch is the ability to ping your phone if you can’t find it (which happens to most of us at least once a week). If you still can’t find your phone, most watches can help you with directions (both driving and walking), stream music, and take calls. Furthermore, many smartwatches will remind you to take a deep breath for a minute or to drink a glass of water. (Most Americans simply do not get the USDA-recommended eight to ten glasses of water per day.

Because of the power of data, one of the most popular and useful features of smartwatches is their ability to help you get in shape. “While the metrics that a wearable or smartwatch tracks will vary by make/model and price point, the most common data points collected are heart rate and daily steps or movement,” says Julie Brown, a registered dietitian and personal trainer success coach at Life Time, a Minnesota-based online health resource. “Some devices also allow you to capture additional aspects of your daily movement, such as the number of flights of stairs walked and whether or not you have stood up in the last hour, as well as some additional lifestyle variables such as pulse oximetry, sleep data, and heart rate variability.”

Series 6 of the Apple Watch

The Apple Watch is the most well-known smartwatch, and there’s a reason for that, according to Shayne Sherman, an Indiana-based tech expert and CEO of the online PC resource Techloris.

“It may be the obvious answer, but the new Apple Watch is the creme de la creme of smartwatches for a very good reason,” he says. “I haven’t had the Apple Watch 6 long, but I couldn’t live without it, and its advanced algorithms allow me to track my workout perfectly.”

SE Apple Watch

Don’t assume that an Apple Watch is out of reach. “Those looking for a smartwatch on a budget should strongly consider the Apple Watch SE,” says David Lynch, a Saranac Lake, New York-based Content Lead for Payette Forward, Inc., “a digital publishing company with a focus on cell phones and cell phone plans.”

Smart Watch Fitbit Versa Lite Edition

“Smartwatches are becoming increasingly useful for people on the go. What were once mere accessories are now essential life devices that keep you connected and in shape “says Tom Winter, a tech recruitment advisor based in New York and cofounder of DevSkiller, an online interview and evaluation platform for job candidates.

Music on the Garmin Vivoactive 3

Smartwatches are typically regarded as a luxury item, but there are low-cost options available, particularly during the Black Friday shopping season. Sean Allan, Aware Technology’s Thailand-based Digital Marketing Manager, likes the low-cost Garmin Vivoactive 3 Music.

Forerunner 935 by Garmin

Ian Sells, the San Diego-based founder and CEO of the online discount resource RebateKey, understands the value of a good deal. “With text and call notifications, heart rate monitoring, sleep tracking, and more, the Forerunner 935 has everything you’d want in a smartwatch.”