The 8 best smartwatches for Android users in 2022

Google rolled out Android Wear, now called Wear OS, in 2014, with Samsung, LG, and Motorola the first companies to offer an official Google experience on your wrist. Samsung branched off into Tizen OS for many years, but as we saw at Google I/O in 2021, Samsung and Google are partnering back up to release watches that share the best of both companies.

While smartwatches today are heavily focused on detailed 24/7 health and wellness tracking, most also provide other advanced features, such as a companion Android application, touchscreen displays, call and/or text messaging support, installable applications and watch faces, and voice assistants.

In 2021, there are several powerful options available to help you get work done through a wearable device. With Wear OS 3 powered by Samsung, the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic is clearly the best smartwatch available for Android phone users with Samsung setting the bar for other Wear OS smartwatch makers.

pros

Sleek, minimalist design
Vibrant AMOLED display
Affordable
Enhanced sleep and fitness features

cons

Cannot access skin temperature sensor data yet

Samsung used to have the Galaxy Watch Active line that offered a smaller option with no rotating bezel and this year we have that model labeled as the Galaxy Watch 5. It is offered in 40mm and 44mm size options so it will appeal to more people than the larger Galaxy Watch 4 Classic. It is also lighter with aluminum rather than stainless steel construction.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 offers enhanced sleep and fitness tracking features. You can receive vital stats, such as body fat readings and your Body Mass Index. And the watch earned a IP68 rating, allowing you to submerge it up to five feet of water. While it pales in comparison in water rating to the Apple Watch Ultra, it is also significantly less expensive, making it a more reasonable purchase if you do much in the way of lap swimming.

pros

A slick rotating bezel design
High-quality stainless steel material
Broad support for health and fitness features
New version of Wear OS with expanded third-party app selection

cons

2-day battery life
Large size not suitable for smaller wrists
Blood pressure certification taking longer than expected

Samsung is clearly not standing by as Apple continues to update and improve the Apple Watch. Samsung’s latest Galaxy Watch 4 Classic offers many of the same advanced health tracking features, such as blood oxygen monitoring, ECG, and sleep tracking.

We also see the addition of body composition measurements in the Galaxy Watch 4, along with blood pressure monitoring in select countries. Hopefully, Samsung can deliver on blood pressure support in the US, but it’s been more than a year past its last estimated approval by regulatory agencies.

The major change for the Galaxy Watch 4 is the partnership with Google so that the watch is no longer powered by Tizen, but is a Google Wear OS 3 powered by Samsung watch. This means it still looks like a Samsung smartwatch, but also supports Google Pay, Google Play Store, and many more Google apps with the possibility of Google Assistant in a future update.

It has a sleek rotating bezel and an operating system optimized for the round watch design. Fall detection, messaging, phone calls, and more are available on the watch, with advanced fitness data such as VO2 Max and advanced running dynamics data also supported.

pros

Innovative dual-display design
Google Assistant and Google Pay
Solid third-party app support
Lightweight and comfortable
Affordable

cons

Duplicated health apps
No offline music support

While Google has not put much effort into developing its Wear OS platform, companies like Mobvoi continue to offer solid smartwatch competitors running Wear OS. The latest watch from Mobvoi is the TicWatch Pro 3, the first smartwatch sporting Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Wear 4100 platform.

The TicWatch Pro 3 is the best non-Samsung Wear OS device available with a unique layered display design with an LCD display on top of an AMOLED display so users can have extended battery life, up to 30 days more limited watch experience.

While not as well supported as the Apple Watch, Wear OS is still a very capable wearable platform with an extensive number of available watch faces, plenty of popular third-party apps, Google Assistant voice support, advanced health tracking, and much more. The TicWatch Pro 3 has all of the latest advanced health metrics, such as blood oxygen monitoring, and is also a very capable GPS sports watch.

At just $299.99, it’s also tough to beat the TicWatch Pro 3. It works with Android and iOS smartphones, too, so if you are considering a smartwatch for multiple platforms, this is a very capable option.

Why not read our full review of TicWatch Pro 3.

pros

Bright AMOLED display
Long battery life
Low price

cons

No third-party apps
Limited notifications
One standard size and color

The OnePlus Watch supports more than 110 workout types (including automatic detection), phone calls can be handled on the watch, notifications from your phone appear on the watch, and the watch lets you play music from your phone or stored directly in the available 2GB of storage (4GB total).

The 46mm case with 2.5D curved glass looks a lot like the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2, which is great since that hardware is fantastic. It has a dust and water-resistant rating of 5 ATM and IP68 with integrated GPS, blood oxygen monitor, heart rate monitor, and 402 mAh battery that supports active use for a week and standard use for two weeks.

The OnePlus Watch will connect to your phone via the OnePlus Health app. At launch, the watch will connect to Android smartphones, with an iOS app coming soon, too.

At just $159, it’s tough to pass up the OnePlus Watch or argue that it isn’t providing good value for the money.

pros

Bright AMOLED display
Long battery life
Low price
Onboard music support
Call support

cons

No third-party apps
Limited watch faces

Amazfit has some very compelling smartwatches powered by a RTOS (real-time operating system) optimized for the watch so that extended battery life is provided.

There is a companion Android application, Zepp, that provides access, collection, and analysis of an extensive amount of health and wellness data.

After we reviewed the GTR 2 and sister GTS 2, Amazfit released an update that added Amazon Alexa voice assistant support. It’s rare to see a voice assistant on a watch that is not from Google, so this is a nice addition to an extremely affordable wearable.

The GTR 2 also has a microphone and speaker on the watch so that phone calls can be managed directly from the watch through a Bluetooth connection to your Android smartphone.

pros

Elegant hardware
High-resolution AMOLED display
Extensive health support

cons

Limited third-party support
Expensive

The Huawei Watch 3 was launched in June 2021 and is the first watch running Huawei’s own Harmony OS. Like other smartwatches today, it is heavily focused on capturing data 24/7 that is related to your health and wellness.

It supports all forms of GPS and can be used to track more than 100 activities.

A rotating crown works with the touchscreen to help you navigate the watch. Smartwatches support Google Assistant, Samsung Bixby, and Amazon Alexa, but the new Huawei Watch 3 supports Celia thanks to its Harmony OS foundation.

Huawei’s older generation Android Wear watch was one of the best available, and it looks like this hardware is designed to compete with the best. Unfortunately, it is not available in the US. It is available in Europe and the Middle East.

pros

Vibrant display
Google Assistant and Google Pay accessibility
Solid third-party support
Affordable

cons

Average battery life

Fossil is the biggest name brand still releasing smartwatches powered by Google’s Wear OS. The Fossil Gen 6 lineup was recently revealed and offers some new internals with the older version of Wear OS. Wear OS 3 is likely coming to these watches in early 2022.

The Fossil Gen 6 Smartwatch is available in various colors with different band options, starting at just $299. The Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 4100 powers this Fossil smartwatch lineup, and with Wear OS, users enjoy the power of Google Assistant on the wrist. Google Pay is supported, so you can pay wirelessly with your phone in your pocket. Integrated GPS also means you can track your outdoor exercise with the Fossil Gen 6 Smartwatch.

New features in this latest generation include a SpO2 blood oxygen sensor, an improved heart rate sensor, and fast charging.

pros

Bright AMOLED display
Lightweight and comfortable for 24/7 wear
Google Assistant and phone call support
Smart alarm support
Extensive health and wellness support

cons

A solid-state button is not reliable as physical one
Limited third-party support

The Fitbit Sense has a stainless steel ring around the watch face and additional sensors on the back so that it offers support for ECG, skin temperature, and a few more advanced health metrics. If you want to save $70, then you can buy the Fitbit Versa 3 and lose out on a few advanced wellness metrics.

A significant improvement in this watch compared to previous Fitbit watches is the integrated GPS receiver that will help you track your outside activities more accurately.

The Fitbit ecosystem is well supported, with many people on the platform to help motivate you toward achieving your daily activity and fitness goals. The smartphone app is fantastic and offers a ton of insight, recommendations, and understanding of the data collected by the watches. Android smartphone users enjoy a better experience with support for quick text message replies.

Google Assistant is also now available for the Fitbit Sense, so we see a bit more of Google’s influence now that it owns Fitbit.

We chose the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic. It offers a sleek design and the stainless steel material ensures durability and a stylish wear. And for its quality, it’s reasonably priced. However, it isn’t the only Android smartwatch available. This tables compares the top models based on pricing and special features:

Best smartwatch for Android users…	Price	Special features
Samsung Galaxy Watch 5	$115	Vibrant Super AMOLED display, enhanced sleeping and fitness tracking tools.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic	$300	A slick rotating bezel design, high-quality stainless steel material.
Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 3	$150	Innovative dual-display design, Google Assistant and Google Pay on the wrist
OnePlus Watch	$159	Bright AMOLED display, long battery life
Amazfit GTR 2	$180	Onboard music support, call support from the watch
Huawei Watch 3	$299	Elegant hardware, extensive health support
Fossil Gen 6 smartwatch	$229	Vibrant display, Google Assistant and Google Pay on the wrist
Fitbit Sense	$194	Lightweight and comfortable, extensive health and wellness support

Choosing the right fit depends on how much you want to spend and the functionalities you deem essential. If you’re on a budget, but still want a quality watch, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 is an exceptional value. Meanwhile, if you want a basic offering that aids you in fitness tracking, the Fitbit Sense is a wise choice. This buying tree can help you make sense of your options:

Choose this smartwatch …	If you want or are…
Samsung Galaxy Watch 5	Best smartwatch overall for Android users
Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic	Best smartwatch with a traditional design for Android users
Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 3	Best non-Samsung smartwatch for Android users
OnePlus Watch	Best budget smartwatch for Android users
Amazfit GTR 2	Best RTOS option for Android users
Huawei Watch 3	Best Harmony OS smartwatch for Android users
Fossil Gen 6 smartwatch	Best fashion smartwatch for Android users
Fitbit Sense	Best basic smartwatch for Android users

We have spent weeks, sometimes months, with most of these wearables while connecting them to various Android smartphones. We have run, walked, hiked, biked, slept, worked, traveled, played, and more with these watches on our wrists.

We also read other reviews and reviewer guides provided by the smartwatch makers to make sure we have explored all of the available features.

You can use a Samsung Galaxy watch with a non-Galaxy Android smartphone. You will need to install a couple of Samsung companion applications on your smartphone, including Galaxy Wearable and watch plug-in. The Galaxy Wearable app is used to manage the connection, settings, and apps on the watch. Samsung Health also provides you with a richer health and wellness experience.

Samsung Galaxy watches are optimized for Samsung phones, including support for Samsung Pay and the Samsung ecosystem.

Samsung, Mobvoi (only in the TicWatch Pro 4G/LTE), and Huawei have cellular support. An additional service plan is required for cellular connectivity directly on the watch. Unlike the Apple Watch, your Android phone is not required to be on for the service to work.

While the watch can act as a stand-alone mobile device, a phone is required to set up the watch for cellular connectivity fully. A world with your watch as your phone is not yet an option, but technology is advancing, and we’ll get there someday.

Health and fitness tracking have been the areas with the most innovations and improvements in the last couple of years. While these watches are not medical devices, they have sensors, algorithms, and applications that help you track trends in your heart rate, stress levels, blood oxygen levels, and more. You can use it as a basic ECG to check if further investigation is needed.

All of these smartwatches can also serve as capable GPS sports watches to track the details of your outdoor activities. Exercise guidance is provided on the watch with connected health applications on your smartphone so you can keep track of your progress too.

Here are a few more options to consider

The 8 best smartwatches for Android users in 2022

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