A watch that can be connected to a phone is often referred to as a smart watch. This is logical, because they offer a large number of useful features. If you like getting notifications on your wrist, you can keep your smartphone in your pocket with every vibration, making life easier and more focused on the task at hand. In addition, in some models it will be possible to answer urgent calls and messages directly from the watch. However, warnings aside, smartwatches are the best device for athletes and sports enthusiasts. Best of all, they demonstrate their value in this situation. They allow you to be more efficient in your workouts as they monitor ECG, SpO2, VO2 max and more, but don’t overwhelm you with a lot of sensors. We have selected three models of the best watches of 2022.
Who makes the best smartwatches?
Today, the smartwatch market is divided among several players: Apple, Samsung, Huawei, Garmin, and possibly also Xiaomi and Fitbit. But the latter is more focused on health, rather than sports and normal wear. Although they can handle it too.
How to choose a smartwatch
The main thing is to decide what you want and what features you use. Then you need to decide on which operating system your smartphone is running – Android or iOS. Anyone with an iPhone can use the Apple Watch as the best option.
It is also important to pay attention to the screen. It can be a touchscreen or not, large or small, OLED or other technology. For simple notifications, any screen will do, and if you want to get information about your workouts and manage them, then the screen should be good.
And the watch has to be beautiful if you want to wear it every day. Indeed, in addition to functionality, it is also a fashion accessory, and it cannot be anyhow.
The watch strap is also of great importance. Consider material and size. While some models use standard mounting sizes, which allows you to change them to any other, some manufacturers apply their own solutions that are suitable only for a particular model.
Another important point is Wi-Fi support. For example, the Apple Watch can work on its own through it, or it can also communicate on the home network. That is, if you leave the phone in the next room and the connection is lost, the watch continues to work via Wi-Fi.
You should always be less than ten meters away from your smartphone because most smartwatches work via a Bluetooth connection.
The best smartwatch
Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 is the best watch for Android
Samsung’s new generation smartwatches are among the best for sports. There are two versions, including “Pro”. The style of the watch combines the design of the previous generation, but at the same time it can be worn every day. The only problem is changing the bracelet, which is difficult at first.
You can easily see the user interface even in direct sunlight thanks to the 1.4-inch AMOLED screen. The ambient light sensor makes brightness adjustments as needed. There are several screen design options. And the watch also offers an excellent combination of hardware and software, which is part of a large ecosystem.
We are especially interested in the sports aspect. You can choose from hundreds of different actions, but you can also export your data using programs like Strava. Even if GPS, Glonass, Beidou and Galileo systems are compatible, GPS accuracy is not at the required level. The differences from the data collected during the various tests can sometimes be quite large.
Like heart rate tracking, sometimes it can be too unpredictable to compete with the best sports watches. But in general, this watch still perfectly demonstrates how such accessories should look, and despite the minuses, it is the best watch. Especially if you have a Samsung smartphone,
Apple Watch Series 7 is the best watch for iPhone
There is no need to wait to buy an Apple Watch if you have an iPhone and want a smartwatch. The watch fits seamlessly into the company’s ecosystem, providing a link between your iPhone, wristwatch, and even, to some extent, iPad and Mac.
Keep in mind that Apple launched the Watch Series 8 in September of this year. The temperature sensor is one of the new features offered by this new watch. Also note that there are two more models, namely Apple Watch Ultra and Apple Watch SE 2.
The seventh generation Apple Watch is the best option for several reasons. And the first is the big screen. Compared to the previous model, the difference of one millimeter does not affect the size of the body, but the increase in the screen becomes very noticeable. Its surface area has increased by 20% compared to the Series 6. The end result is a watch that is easy to use every day, especially when combined with the Always On mode, which is 70% brighter.
However, internal changes are minimal. The new processor easily handles the extra pixels without compromising battery life and handles information across a very wide range of sensors.
The slightly larger battery makes up for the larger screen in the first place. In practice, we again have a full day of use, and the 20W charger allows you to fill the watch with energy much faster. As a result, 8 hours of battery life can be obtained in just 8 minutes of charging.
While not revolutionary, the Apple Watch Series 7 is moving forward in terms of charging and size. Therefore, they are still the best smartwatches in the world. The Series 8 is even better, but not by much. However, it must be borne in mind that they only work with the iPhone. “Pairing” them with an Android smartphone simply won’t work .
Huawei Watch 3 – Huawei smart watch
Huawei is updating its previous smartwatch model with the release of Watch 3 some time ago. The brand’s first model based on HarmonyOS offers many features. In terms of aesthetics, Huawei has nothing to complain about. The watch is cool and beautifully made, but most importantly, it is huge. This can cause problems with small wrists. Although, if, on the contrary, you like big watches, then you have almost no alternatives.
There are various options for bracelets, ranging from synthetic rubber to steel. On the side face is a digital crown, reminiscent of the one in the Apple Watch. The AMOLED display is bright enough to be clearly visible in all conditions. We have tons of options when it comes to watch faces because over 300 of them are available on the Huawei Health app.
There is access to all standard indicators of activity monitoring, with the exception of the ECG. What’s even more amazing is that the watch can measure your skin temperature and alert you to serious abnormalities. The average battery life is three days on a single charge, which is longer than the models above. However, if you do not strain the battery too much, then you can increase the operating time by 2-2.5 times .
We must admit that Harmony OS works efficiently and has a good user interface. Unfortunately, despite the fact that the system is available to developers, there are still very few third-party applications.
