Scouted independently selects products. If you buy something through our posts, we may earn a small commission.
If you train without one of the best smartwatches for Android users, you’re missing out on the opportunity to measure your progress and make your workouts more fun. Having technology on your wrist has become a norm in the fitness world, according to Connor Derrickson, a fitness performance coach at Future, the app that pairs you with a world-class fitness coach who manages your ongoing fitness remotely.
“In recent years, we seem to have moved more and more towards prioritizing our health and fitness by using technology and information,” he says. That’s because fitness tracking adds another component to your workout. “Fitness watches make working out, exercising or even walking fun because it becomes a competition – a game where you try to beat yourself every day.”
If you’re not a member of the Apple Universe (or if you want something compatible with both Android and Apple devices), don’t worry, there are plenty of excellent Android smartwatches on the market. And if you’re new to this whole sports watch trend, Derrickson offers a few tips on what to look for when choosing one of the best Android-compatible smartwatches to crush your fitness goals for the new year.
Monitor heart rate. “Obviously you want something that measures your heart rate while you’re wearing it, but you also want it to show your training heart rate and your resting heart rate — and you want it to be accurate,” says Derrickson.
Track calories burned. “Many people like to know how many calories they burn during the day and during one exercise session.” And if your watch has this feature, Derrickson says it can be a fun challenge for you to burn more calories each day and also see how calorie burn is affected by different exercise intensities.
Check Compatibility. You need to understand how your watch works with your phone, etc. “There are also watches that have more trouble with third-party apps and are slower when downloading, so keep that in mind,” advises Derrickson.
Battery life. If your watch dies every day, Derrickson warns you’ll be frustrated. “It’s annoying when you have to wear the watch to collect data, but it dies so quickly and spends a lot of time on the charger.”
Tom Holland, exercise physiologist, elite endurance athlete and author of, The micro training planagrees, adding that the watch should be able to withstand the type of exercise you’ll be doing. “For example, choose a rugged watch for tough outdoor workouts like mountain biking and rock climbing, and a waterproof watch for paddle boarding and windsurfing.”
And he offers something else to consider. “Decide if you want a watch that you take off when you’re done working out or one that’s fashionable,” says Holland. “Do you want something that not only tracks your workout stats, but is something you’d wear to work, go out at night, etc?” Scroll below to check out some of the best smartwatches for Android users to crush your New Year’s resolutions.
Google Pixel Watch with Fitbit Activity Tracking
With fitness and health features powered by Fitbit, the Google Pixel LTE smartwatch can also track sleep, heart rate and assess heart rhythm. The active zone function tracks minutes, steps and calories and lets you choose from 40 different training modes. In addition, the smartwatch does everything a smartphone can do, such as answering calls, receiving text messages, answering emails and listening to music. What’s more, it can also sync with your smartphone to control your thermostat and lights and the battery lasts up to 24 hours.
itbit Sense 2 advanced health and fitness smartwatch
Fitbit makes some of the most popular smartwatches on the market, and the cutting-edge Fitbut Sense 2 is arguably the best model yet. You can track everything from steps, distance and calories while monitoring your breathing, resting heart rate, heart rate variability, skin temperature and blood oxygen saturation. The watch also includes a sleep tracker that measures how long you slept and provides a sleep score, along with a Daily Readiness Score to help you decide how intense your workout should be that day. Built-in GPS and voice assistants add to the functionality of the watch, and you can also receive call and text notifications and pay from your wrist. The battery lasts at least six days.
Amazfit T-Rex 2 smartwatch
If you train intensely – including surfing, mountaineering and skiing – the Amazfit T-Rex 2 is a rugged military-grade smartwatch that can withstand all your adventures. It is equipped with a temperature resistance of -40 degrees F, 240 hours of humidity resistance, 158 degrees of heat resistance and 96 hours of salt spray resistance. With just one tap you can measure your breathing and heart rate, stress level and blood oxygen level. Plus, the force recognition feature detects which muscles are activated during specific exercises – how cool is that? The watch has a battery life of 24 days, supports more than 150 sports modes and has GPS 5 satellite positioning.
The SUUNTO 9 Peak is so thin and sleek that at first glance you might think it’s too stylish to be a practical smartwatch. But you would be wrong, because it is as strong and durable as it is beautiful. The touch screen watch face is made of grade 5 sapphire glass and titanium and offers several health metrics including heart rate, stress, blood oxygen and sleep tracking. It has built-in GPS and 3D heatmaps, in addition to guided navigation. You can control music and bypass your phone to pair the watch with your headphones or earbuds. The watch can also provide weather reports and warnings if a storm is approaching. Battery life is 25 hours with GPS and up to seven days in tour mode.
Withings ScanWatch hybrid smartwatch and activity tracker
Sometimes workout smartwatches can be too complicated to be really useful. However, the Withings ScanWatch is a hybrid smartwatch with a classic design and a sleek face. There is a section at the top with health information such as heart rate tracking, breathing tracking, and sleep tracking and analysis. The watch also has a step tracker and exercise mode that can automatically track running, cycling, swimming and other activities and log this information into the companion Health Mate app. The ScanWatch, which also provides smartphone notifications, is water resistant to 50 meters and the battery of the watch lasts up to 30 days.
Mobvoi Ticwatch GTH Pro Smartwatch Arty
Another great value training watch, the Mobvoi TicWatch GTH Pro has all the essentials you could want, including personalized watch faces. From continuous heart rate monitoring and arterial health scores to blood oxygen measurement and also sleep tracking – the watch even offers guidelines for improving sleep scores. During exercise, there are 14 exercise modes ranging from indoor cycling to outdoor walking to basketball. The watch is water resistant to 50 meters and the battery lasts up to 10 days.
Wahoo ELEMNT Rival running multisport GPS smartwatch
The Wahoo ELEMNT Rival offers structured training tools, making it a great choice for those who run, cycle or swim. It even has race day features for contactless transition between different activities. The watch has a running profile and running dynamics to provide real-time data. The watch has 12 preloaded workouts and the ability to connect to a TrainingPeaks account. It can also control your music, alarm and provide smart notifications. The battery life is 24 hours in GPS training mode and two weeks in smartwatch mode.
SAMSUNG Galaxy Watch 4 40mm smartwatch with ECG monitor
Samsung makes some of the best watches for Android users. They can be quite pricey; however, the Samsung Galaxy 4 is a more economical option that still delivers the goods. It has tons of apps and can track everything from blood oxygen saturation to sleep disturbances. There are also nearly 100 workouts, including running, swimming, and rowing. You can use the watch for contactless payment and for smart home control, in addition to step-by-step directions via GPS. The battery life is about 40 hours.
MORE FROM SCOUTED:
Do not forget to check out our coupon site to find more health and fitness offerings including Vitacost Coupons, Discount coupons Dick’s Sporting Goods, Walmart Couponsand Macy’s coupons.