These are the best Black Friday deals on smartwatches and fitness trackers
The number of smartwatches and fitness trackers out there in the market today is overwhelming, but there's light at the end of the tunnel: just about all of them, in every category, are discounted for Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
There are many different kinds of smart wearables and brands to consider, so we've broken down some of the top questions we get about smartwatches and fitness trackers and have rounded up some of the best deals available right now. You're bound to find a great deal!
What's the difference between a smartwatch and a fitness tracker?It may seem self-explanatory, but the differences between smartwatches and fitness trackers have been blurring lately as the product categories slowly merge together. You have full-featured smartwatches that are coming down in price to levels where fitness trackers have flourished, and you have fitness trackers whose capabilities are growing to include ever more smart features.
In addition to their ability to run more complex apps and serve as truly mobile communication platforms, most smartwatches available today have some sort of fitness tracking capabilities built-in to their hardware and software. This usually means monitors with the ability to track metrics like steps, heart rate, calories burned, and even sleep (battery-permitting), paired with some sort of interface to read and analyze that data. More advanced smartwatches like the Apple Watch Series 5, the Fitbit Versa 2, or the Samsung Galaxy Active 2 can do even more powerful fitness and workout tracking and use third-party fitness apps as well.
Fitness trackers tend to be smaller and less bulky than smartwatches, and generally speaking have fewer capabilities outside of fitness other than telling the time or maybe relaying basic notifications. These often take the form of a band that is comprised of durable materials like silicone or an engineered mesh and are often waterproof and dustproof as well. While they may have access to a similar app experience on your phone, the experience on your wrist is much more scaled back.
What's the best smartwatch if you're using Android?As you can imagine, there is no shortage of smartwatch options for Android users... basically everything is available to you short of the Apple Watch! Which is the best is a matter of opinion of course, but several of my colleagues at Android Central have reviewed the top Android smartwatches and they generally have come away loving the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2. Though it runs on Samsung's Tizen platform, it still works perfectly well with any Samsung or Android phone. It has a decent app selection, a really good screen, and does solid fitness tracking. It also has built-in GPS and NFC, so you can take it out on a long adventure.
If style is your game, we recommend something like the Skagen Falster 2 or one of the latest from Fossil. Both give you the best of Wear OS (though that might not be saying much) while looking classy as can be. If fitness is your primary concern, take a look at the Fitbit Versa 2. You get Amazon Alexa access, the ability to respond to notifications on your wrist, and excellent fitness tracking.
What's the best smartwatch if you're using an iPhone?If you're an iPhone user who wants a great smartwatch experience, there really isn't much point to getting anything other than an Apple Watch. The current generation Apple Watch Series 5 was lauded for its always-on display and amazing screen technology but has gotten mixed reviews for battery life and longevity. If you are lucky you can find the Series 4 still on sale at various online retailers, but perhaps the best deal in smartwatches right now is on the Series 3.
If the Apple Watch is too rich for your blood, or if you don't like being completely locked into the Apple ecosystem, we recommend giving the Fitbit Versa 2 a serious look. While you won't get all of the functionality of an integrated Apple Watch, you do get smart assistant access in the form of Amazon's Alexa, over 5 days of battery life, an always-on display option (which, granted, reduces that battery life), and industry-leading sleep tracking.
How much should you spend on a smartwatch?How much you spend on a smartwatch is obviously constrained by your budget, but generally speaking, most good smartwatches will run you from $200 on the low-end to $600 and more on the high-end. Less smart fitness watches like the Fitbit Versa 2 are on sale during Black Friday for under $200, and you can even pick up an Apple Watch Series 3 for that price range.
The more premium the watch build materials and the better the overall ecosystem, the more you can expect to pay. For example, the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 is normally over $300 (though it's on sale during Black Friday), or you can speck up an Apple Watch Series 5 in Titanium or Ceramic for upwards of $800 - $1,400!
How much should you spend on a fitness tracker?Aside from their simplistic interfaces and ease-of-use, one of the areas that fitness trackers still compete is in price. Most fitness trackers still sit well-below even the sale prices of decent smartwatches, and you'd be hard-pressed to find one over $200 (if you do, avoid it!). The best from Fitbit, like the Charge 3 and Inspire line, run from $75 to $150, and Garmin's Vivosmart 4 can be found during Black Friday for around $100. Heck, the Xiaomi Mi Band 4 is a pretty decent little tracker that is on sale for under $40 right now! Bottom line, you don't need to spend a ton to get good fitness features from a tracker.
Do you have to charge a smartwatch every day?This depends on the smartwatch you choose, and how you use it. Some of the most capable and impressive smartwatches also have the worst battery life. Case in point, the Apple Watch Series 5. Apple claims it will last 18+ hours on a single charge, but this is heavily dependant on how you use it (are you running GPS all the time, are you making calls, etc). Many people have mentioned the Series 5 has worse battery performance than the Series 4, so that means you'll definitely be charging it at least every day.
Other smartwatches (albeit some that are less capable) can last at least two to three days on a single charge. The Fitbit Versa 2 can last nearly a week on a single charge (again, less if you use its always-on display or connected GPS), and the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 can get up to two days of use on a charge (but you can top it off from your Galaxy S10 or Note 10 phone via reverse wireless charging).
Best Black Friday smartwatch and fitness tracker dealsFitbit Versa 2The Fitbit Versa 2 is arguably the most fully-featured wearable available from Fitbit. It is a significant upgrade over the company's previous smartwatches, featuring a much better always-on OLED display, improved battery life of up to five days on a single charge, and on-device access to Amazon's Alexa smart voice assistant. There have been a lot of deals recently, but none better than these Black Friday deals we've been seeing at up to $50 off!
Great Fitness WatchFitbit Versa 2
Smartwatch with smart assistant
The Versa 2 boasts a slim design, AMOLED display, improved battery life, and tons of fitness features at an affordable price.
Garmin WearablesWhile not necessarily the most fully-featured wearables in the "smart" watch space, Garmin does make excellent fitness wearables that have some smart features built-in. Here are a few of our favorites that we've seen on special this Black Friday week.
Smart Fitness WatchGarmin Vivoactive 3
Still a smart bargin
The Vivoactive 3 is getting a little long in the tooth, but it still is a great fitness watch with smart features like notifications and NFC for mobile payments.
Smart Fitness BandGarmin Vivosmart 4
Keep track of your health
This tracker offers more health monitoring features than most other options in its price range. It's also slim and easy to use.
Fossil SportFossil is considered by many to be the cream of the crop when it comes to WearOS devices. Their latest Gen 5 watches have been widely praised, but haven't been found on sale yet for Black Friday. However, their best from the previous generation, the Fossil Sport, has been seen for $25-$50 below its regular retail price, and it is worth considering if these good deals hold.
Sporty WearOS WatchFossil Sport
Google smarts and Fossil sports
This sporty WearOS watch is available in nine fun colors, can relay all of your notifications, and can handle your heart rate and activity tracking.
Skagen Falster 2Aside from the really high-end Apple Watches, there aren't too many smartwatches that are as pretty as the Skagen Falster 2. This watch runs WearOS by Google and will relay all of your notifications. It also has some fitness chops, with heart rate and activity tracking, swim-proof design, and built-in GPS. Plus, it's almost $100 off right now during Black Friday!
Stylish SmartwatchSkagen Falster 2
$190 at Amazon $197 at Walmart
Handsome WearOS wearable
The Skagen Falster 2 is one of the best-looking smartwatches around, and features WearoS by Google paired with very impressive fitness features.
Xiaomi Mi Band 4Xiaomi is known for making quality smart devices at insanely low prices, and the Mi Band 4 is no different. For under $50 you get heart rate monitoring, sleep tracking, smartphone notifications, compatibility with Android and iOS, a color screen, and nearly three weeks of battery life. What a bargain!
Beauty of a bandXiaomi Mi Band 4
An amazing band for an amazing price
Mi Band 4 has connected GPS, plus heart rate and activity tracking. It lacks smartwatch features, but the price makes up for it.
Withings MoveWithings has been in the connected fitness space for quite some time, and it has a line of simple fitness wearables and hybrids that you might want to take a look at if the traditional smartwatch or fitness band doesn't suite your style or aesthetic.
Affordable Hybrid Fitness WatchWithings Move Hybrid Smartwatch
Fitness tracking in a simple watch
The Withings Move offers you 24/7 fitness tracking, sleep tracking, and connected GPS in a device that just looks like an ordinary watch.
Amazfit WearablesAmazfit features some really affordable smart watches and fitness trackers, including Bip, which looks like a cross between an Apple Watch and the byegone Pebble Time. A pretty great value in our opinion!
Smartwatch clonesAmazfit Bip
Is that an Apple Watch?
The Fitbit Bip may look like an Apple Watch, but it packs much better battery life and works great on Android devices as well as iOS.