The best cheap smartwatches offer affordable ways to get connected on your wrist. While they might not keep up with the best smartwatches in every aspect, the top-rated budget models might have all the features you need.
Many of the best cheap smartwatches, like the Apple Watch SE 2022 and Fitbit Versa 4 mirror smartphone notifications, track activity, control music playback and more.
Some are older versions of models we've tested, too. So while they might not have all the latest features (their screens might be a bit smaller, and some of their sensors not as sophisticated) they were probably considered excellent smartwatches in our initial reviews of their performance, and are still quite good.
The best cheap smartwatches you can buy today
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Best cheap smartwatch
The Fitbit Versa 4 is Google's midrange Fitbit smartwatch and the best overall cheap fitness tracker. It boasts a sizable and bright AMOLED touchscreen, voice support for Amazon Alexa and a respectable six days of battery life.
You also get impressive insights into sleep quality, onboard GPS for tracking outdoor workouts and basic health monitoring. The watch is compatible with both iOS and Android devices, which we'd consider a huge perk. It's also impressively lightweight and comfortable to wear, despite the big screen. That said, it doesn't have nearly the same support for third-party apps as the Apple Watch SE (2022) or Samsung Galaxy Watch 6.
Read our full Fitbit Versa 4 review.
Best cheap Apple Watch
The second-generation Apple Watch SE (2022) is the best cheap Apple Watch, offering a ton of functionality in an attractive, well-built package for the price. You get a large and immersive display, international emergency calling, fall detection, noise monitoring and optional LTE support to go phone-free.
It may be Apple's entry-level model but it still boasts 18 hours of battery life, excellent health and fitness tracking features — especially if you upgrade to the latest watchOS 11, which is now in public beta — and more third-party apps than you can shake a stick at.
Read our full Apple Watch SE (2022) review.
Best cheap Samsung smartwatch
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 was recently replaced by the Galaxy Watch 7 which just means greater savings for you on the former. With a slim design, two size options to choose from, an AMOLED touchscreen and excellent health and fitness tracking features, the Galaxy Watch 6 offers loads of bang for the buck.
Like the Apple Watch SE, there are an impressive number of third-party apps to try out. However, compatibility is limited to Android devices only. Nevertheless, the Galaxy Watch 6 is a well-built and comfortable-wearing piece of tech.
Read our full Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 review.
The best cheap smartwatch for sleep-tracking
The Fitbit Versa 3 is one generation out but still offers solid sleep-tracking capabilities for a good price. It also has an onboard GPS for location tracking, access to Alexa and Google Voice virtual assistants and up to six days of battery life.
The Versa 3 monitors vitals like heart rate and blood oxygen levels while you sleep and provides users with a daily sleep score based on the quality of the previous night's restfulness. Compatible with both Android and iOS devices, it lacks the vast offering of third-party apps you get with an Apple or Samsung smartwatch.
Read our full Fitbit Versa 3 review.
Best cheap smartwatch for style
The Garmin Lily 2 is a small and stylish smartwatch that more resembles a piece of jewelry than a piece of consumer tech. Easily Garmin's most fashionably wearable, it offers wellness features that are particularly useful for female users, like menstrual health and pregnancy tracking. The Lily 2 also monitors heart rate, blood oxygen levels, stress and sleep.
Lightweight and super comfortable, the device comes in two versions: the Lily 2 and Lily 2 Classic. The latter supports mobile payments for an extra $30. Battery life should be good for up to five days but the screen is on the small side and monochromatic. There also aren't any compatible third-party apps but it does play nice with Android and iOS devices.
Read our full Garmin Lily 2 first impressions
Best cheap smartwatch for outdoor sports
With a large display, on-board GPS, built-in compass and enough durability certifications to survive Jurassic Park, the Amazfit T-Rex 2 one of the best cheap smartwatches ever made for the outdoors. At $199, it’s less than half the price of the Garmin Instinct and other popular GPS smartwatches, making it an affordable alternative.
Like other devices on our best sports watch page, the T-Rex offers an impressive battery life, variety of sports modes and sleep tracking – all wrapped in its impenetrable shell. With all the sensors you could want, the T-Rex is a beast to be reckoned with, plus who doesn't want a device named after a dinosaur?
Read our full Amazfit T-Rex 2 review.
Best cheap golf watch
Golf watches can be pricey, and especially for new or casual players, the upfront cost of the game tends to add up. So for the $199 Garmin Approach S12 to pack many of the key game features found in the brand’s higher-tier devices — including 43,000 preloaded courses, shot-distance measurements and compatibility with Garmin’s other golf accessories — its value is hard to beat. That's why it's one of the best cheap smartwatches for golfers, if not the best overall.
It doesn’t have the finesse of Garmin's higher-end golf watches, and the lack of a heart rate monitor means it can't replace your fitness tracker. But for mirrored notifications and a simple, yet customizable watch face, there's plenty of versatility on and off the green.
Read our full Garmin Approach S12 review.
How to choose
How to choose the best cheap smartwatch for you
When shopping for a cheap smartwatch, you should look for the same things as if you were shopping for a higher-priced model. First, what kind of smartphone do you have? If you own an iPhone, we recommend sticking with the Apple Watch SE or Series 9 (or some other recent version), as the Apple Watch is the only smartwatch that fully works with the iPhone.
If you have an Android smartphone, your best choice is either a Samsung or Wear OS smartwatch like the Google Pixel Watch 2; both of those platforms fully support Android phones, such as making and receiving calls from your wrist, as well as crafting messages.
You also want to consider what you plan to do with the smartwatch. If you're into fitness, you'll want a smartwatch that's water-resistant and has GPS and a heart rate monitor.
How we test
How we test the best cheap smartwatches
We test cheap smartwatches the same way we do pricier models: By wearing them. We first see how well the watches fit on our wrists, and how easy the displays are to read (especially in sunlight and navigate. Depending on its capabilities, we also test the watches' sensors, such as GPS and heart rate monitors. If you need a watch that can track your workouts without your phone, check out our guides to the best GPS watches and best running watches instead.
Other criteria that factor into our ratings include the number of apps available for a smartwatch, how well it interacts with our smartphone, and battery life. In all of this, we also take into account the price of the smartwatch. The less a watch costs, the more leeway we're inclined to give it. Still, there are a lot of lousy cheap smartwatches — and plenty of good ones under $200 — so our tolerance only goes so far.
