Best Cheap Smartwatch in 2020

The first Apple Watch was released in 2015. It was a proof of concept, but it was also a luxury product designed for a luxury market. In the following years, other companies have followed suit with their own high cost alternatives. But fortunately, the growth that these manufacturers have put into developing smart watches has allowed them to produce good products more effectively. You could throw a few hundred dollars down on a big brand name smartwatch, but you don’t need to.

The market today is rich with competition, and that means that the savvy shopper can get a good smart watch that covers all the fundamentals for a decent price. We’ve identified ten of the best cheap smartwatches, and we’re to help you make the right decision.

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Best Cheap Smartwatch Buyer’s Guide

Each cheap smartwatch review on our list covers the basic details and relevant specs, but that might not mean much if this is your first time shopping for a wearable gadget. That’s why we’ve identified some of the most common questions asked by our users. Here you’ll find information on what some of those specs really mean and digs a little deeper into the sort of features you should focus on whilst looking for the best cheap smartwatch for you.

Related Post: If you have a budget in mind and you’re looking for a stylish watch, you might like our article on Best Watches under $200.

How Much Does the Operating System Matter?

Apple’s smartwatch variant of the iOS operating system is only allowed for first party uses, and Google’s Wear OS variant of Android has a reputation for consistency. That means that most manufacturers making a cheap smartwatch make use of a proprietary operating system. For many, these OS’ are functional, but there are a few worth talking about in more detail.

Fitbit and Garmin both use their own proprietary and unimaginatively named operating systems for their watches, and the advantages here are that these platforms are designed to complement what these brands do well: fitness tracking. Both have very solid fitness interfaces built right in, but they’ve also made changes in recent years to add more versatile functions like NFC payments and support for third party apps.

Tizen is present in all modern Samsung watches, and it’s one of the more powerful smartwatch operating systems around. Compatibility with iOS and Android are both smooth, so this can double as a cheap smartwatch for iPhone or Android.

While Tizen can run integrated (or pre-installed) and linked (streamed through your phone) apps, it’s relatively unique in that it provides support for external apps as well. The fact that these apps are written in versatile and simple HTML5 means that they tend to be prevalent. Tizen watches also often come with the convenient Bixby smart assistant.

Despite the fact that opinions are mixed on Google’s Wear OS, it appears in a decent number of smartwatches, and it comes with some distinct advantage. The fact that it’s built off the Android OS means that its compatibility with Android is top notch (though Wear OS watches are usually also compatible with iOS devices).

The fact that Wear OS is so widely adopted by third party manufacturers means that – despite a lack of development support from Google – it’s an OS that can really be pushed to its limits. Many Wear OS watches come with Google Assistant built in, and this voice-activated virtual assistant tends to be more reliable than Samsung’s Bixby.

But how much your operating system matters isn’t just an issue of what OS your watch is running. It’s also a matter of how powerful the watch is. The device’s processor is going to play a significant role in how many of the OS’ core functions your watch can readily access.

What Should I Look for in an Exercise Smartwatch?

If you’re looking for a budget smartwatch, chances are that you’ll have to sacrifice a full range of features in favor of specialization. Fortunately, many of the best budget smartwatches are designed with fitness in mind.

The two standouts in this field are Fitbit and Garmin. While both put a lot of focus on the needs of athletics and exercise, the latter tends to put more of an emphasis on outdoor activities like hiking and bicycling with durable designs and GPS functionality that goes above and beyond the call of duty.

Build quality is going to be a big deal here. You need a watch with a comfortable band and preferably a face that’s not so heavy as to weigh you down during your daily routine. Some level of waterproofing is an absolute necessity if you’re planning on going swimming. An IP86 rating should be good enough to deal with sweat, rain, and splashing, but you’ll want a watch that’s waterproof at depths of 50 feet if you plan on taking a full dip in the pool or ocean.

But the biggest factor here is the quality of the apps and features built in. Most of the smartwatches we’ve reviewed here come with heart rate monitoring and some level of sleep tracking. Pedometers are also common, but if you really want a watch that will best suit your needs in the gym or on the track, you’ll want to look at more advanced exercise tracking.

These often take the form of built-in features, but Wear OS and Garmin OS support a variety of external apps as well, so you can always customize a fitness ecosystem that accommodates your needs. Especially useful is Garmin Connect, an innovative app that automatically logs your fitness activities and connects you to an expansive and global fitness community.

What Should I Look for in an All-Purpose Smartwatch?

If you’re not looking for a dedicated health wearable, there are a number of budget options that come with an array of more general purpose functions. Just keep in mind that you’ll likely end up spending somewhere in the range of $100-300 for the privilege.

This is a field where Tizen and Wear OS watches excel. Since they offer support for third party apps from their respective stores, you’ll have more variety to customize the sorts of features that matter to you. The inclusion of a voice assistant in most of these watches means that they’re significantly easier to navigate as well. Any decent smartwatch is going to come with decent notification support. You can expect phone, text, and email notifications on all of these models as well as limited notifications from other apps. But these tend to be a little more limited the cheaper the model, so you’ll want to check closely to make sure your favorite apps are supported.

You should be especially careful if your primary smartphone is an Apple device. Every one of our watches can sync up with both iOS and Android devices, but the closely guarded nature of Apple’s software means that iOS compatibility with third party devices are sometimes a bit more limited. In cases like these, you may want to look at something like the Galaxy which allows you to download apps without having to sync up with your smartphone.

The value of other features is going to vary depending on your preferences. While most devices allow you to sync up with Spotify and other music streaming services, the ability to store music locally can be a huge convenience, and many phones offer more than just notifications. If you want to be able to respond to your texts and emails rather than just reading them, be sure to look for a device that supports that. This is an instance where a larger screen and quality touch interface can make a big difference.

How Accurate Are Battery Life Ratings?

You may have noticed that some of the smartwatches on this list boast truly astronomical battery life that can number in weeks. While that’s technically true, it can also be a bit of a misnomer. The maximum battery life listed refers to watches that are running in standby mode or operating with just the bare minimum of features.

It can be hard to truly evaluate a watch’s battery life in terms of practical usage because it’s so dependent on what features and apps you use. You should treat the battery life as a baseline and adjust according to your usage. Unfortunately, better smartwatches will generally offer much shorter battery lives, because the power usage of more advanced features and apps are significantly higher.

Best Smartwatch for Women?

A watch is a personal accessory that reflects who you are and displays your sense of style. This is as true for smartwatches as it is for normal analog / digital watches. In 2020, many people will say that this is an absurd question, and that there is no difference between women and men and ultimately, there is no specific ‘best smartwatch’ feature that differentiates between whether it is suitable for either gender.

That said, the smartwatches best suited for women tend to be slimmer is design, include more conventional and stylish materials (steel, gold, leather) and embrace the visual design aesthetic of conventional women’s watches. If you are looking for the best smartwatch for 2020 available on Amazon for the woman in your life you should know what she likes, her style and design aesthetic – and then look for a watch that will look good on her wrist. The typical bulky design of most smartwatches seldom look good on women’s wrists and you are likely to be disappointed if you get such a watch and she does not wear it very often!

Best Smartwatch for Men?

A watch is a personal accessory that reflects who you are and displays your sense of style. This is as true for smartwatches as it is for normal analog / digital watches. Ultimately, there is no specific ‘best smartwatch for men’ feature that differentiates between whether it is suitable for a man or a woman. Again here we have to take into consideration that men tend to be more driven by the gadgetry and features that offer – and by resilience and toughness – e.g. features such a water resistance, scratch proof glass, etc.

Men tend not to object too much to the often bulky designs of most smartwatches and are more likely to be content with resin and rubber straps and bodies. So if you are looking for the best cheap smartwatch for 2020 for the man in your life pay most attention to all the bells and whistles that the watch has to offer!

Final Thoughts

Smartwatches are commonly seen as an expensive extravagance that just replicates the same features you’d find in a phone, but our list proves that you can get a smartwatch for less than $20. But whether you’re planning on spending twenty of two hundred, you can rest easy knowing that all the watches on our list are high-quality for their price. And if you’d like to expand your list of shopping options (and you’re willing to get a little more flexible with your spending budget), be sure to check out our list of the all-around best smartwatches.