Best Budget Smartwatches Under $100 – CNET [CNET]

July 8, 2023 Lexy Savvides technology

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If you want a smartwatch that covers the basics at a fraction of the price of big-name competitors, like the Apple Watch, we’ve got you covered.

Lexy Savvides Principal Video Producer

Lexy is an on-air presenter and award-winning producer who covers consumer tech, including the latest smartphones, wearables and emerging trends like assistive robotics. She’s won two Gold Telly Awards for her video series Beta Test. Prior to her career at CNET, she was a magazine editor, radio announcer and DJ. Lexy is based in San Francisco.

Smartwatches have become more popular in the last few years. Nowadays, it seems like everyone has one — and for good reason. They’re awesome little devices that can make life a little bit easier, but many are still quite expensive. And it can be hard to justify spending several hundred dollars on a watch, especially when you’re on a tight budget. Fortunately, you don’t have to miss out. In fact, there are a lot of great budget-friendly smartwatches for under $100.

Well-known brands like the Apple Watch Series 8, Galaxy Watch 5, Fitbit Versa 4, and Fitbit Sense 2 can get expensive. That’s why we’ve curated a list of solid budget-friendly smartwatch options. While these smartwatches won’t exactly match the capabilities of more expensive smartwatches, they’re perfect for people who don’t necessarily care about all the bells and whistles smartwatches such as the Apple Watch offer.

These three watches are the best budget smartwatch options for most people, especially folks who also want a health and fitness tracker at an affordable price. All three work with all smartphones — both iOS and Android devices — and they come with great features like step, calorie, sleep and activity tracking; GPS; touchscreens; water resistance; and a heart-rate monitor.

You can find my full impressions and reviews of each of these Android smartwatches in the video below, or read on for the cheat sheet.

Watch this: Our favorite budget Apple Watch alternatives

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Lexy Savvides/CNET

In addition to the basics that I listed before, this cheap smartwatch displays smart notifications from your Android device and has a sleep monitor. In fact, I found this budget smartwatch had the most accurate sleep tracking of the three watches in this comparison

Its 1.3-inch color display is decent but doesn’t get as bright as one of the other watches on this list. Plus, you only get four watch faces to choose from.

The ID205L tracks eight workout types — walking, running, cycling, climbing, yoga, treadmill cardio, hiking, and stationary biking — and can sync your fitness tracking data with Apple Health. This is the best smartwatch that tracks distance during an outdoor workout, you’ll need to take your phone with you as this watch has connected GPS, rather than onboard GPS.

The battery lasts for up to 10 days with regular use, which can be extended to 30 days if you keep it in standby mode.

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This best budget-friendly smartwatch proves that looks can be deceiving, because the $50 price tag doesn’t match its premium exterior and smart features. NDur’s smartwatch has a sleek metal frame and comfortable strap, and the 1.3-inch color touchscreen was the brightest of the watches I tested for this. It’s easy enough to see in direct sunlight.

It can track seven workout types: walking, running, cycling, skipping, badminton, basketball, and football. It has connected GPS like the Fitbit Charge 4, meaning you’ll need your phone on hand to track distance and see your workout route mapped.

Sleep tracking doesn’t seem to be as accurate, however, as the watch thought I was sleeping while I was sitting on the couch watching TV and doing the dishes before bed. But it is the only one out of these smartwatches that monitors blood oxygen levels, or SpO2 on the spot. It can even monitor blood pressure with on-demand readings. That said, be aware that the notifications from this watch’s app sensors are not medically cleared and should never be used to replace a medical device or to determine whether or not to seek treatment.

The battery lasts for around seven days of continued use.

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The priciest smartwatch on this list doesn’t have as many features as its pricier sibling, the Amazfit GTS, but it’s here for good reason. Its 1.3-inch TFT touchscreen stays on at all times, similar to the Apple Watch Series 6, Galaxy Watch 3, TicWatch Pro, and Fitbit’s Inspire and Sense watches, so you won’t have to raise your wrist every time you want the time. The touchscreen doesn’t look as premium as more expensive watches, but this watch does have a backlight.

The Bip S also has built-in GPS, so you can leave your phone behind when you’re out for a run or another outdoor workout. It has the most robust exercise tracking, too, with support for 10 workout types: running, cycling, elliptical, treadmill cardio, walking, spin, weights/freestyle, yoga, and indoor/outdoor swimming. It also automatically pauses your workout when it detects you haven’t moved for a while. This affordable smartwatch has the biggest selection of watch faces to choose from, plus the option to customize some of the metrics displayed — like weather, activity tracking, or heart rate monitoring.

As for battery life, the company claims the Bip S can get up to 40 days of use on standby. But with regular use, including a few GPS workouts, you’re more likely to get 15 days between charges.

Read our Amazfit Bip S review.