But, if you’re an avid cyclist or hiker that’ll get the most out of the extra functionality on offer, the Galaxy Watch 5 could be the perfect premium wearable.

It’s also a lot more expensive than the standard Galaxy Watch 5, and a big increase on even the premium last-gen Watch 4 Classic, which makes it hard to recommend for everyone. The catch is that certain fitness features are locked to those with a Samsung phone, so other Android owners will find the experience slightly limited – and it won’t work at all with an iPhone. It’s certainly more robust than the stylish Galaxy Watch 5, though this does also mean that it’s larger and bulkier, with a single 45mm casing option that looked big even on my fairly large wrists. There’s also the impressive durability to consider, with a display 90% stronger than the Galaxy Watch 4 series, the ability to survive a dunk in the sea and a titanium case that can take a knock or two. This is the most advanced wearable in Samsung’s collection, offering the same combination of in-depth health and fitness tracking metrics including body composition as the regular Galaxy Watch 5 along with outdoor exercise-focused features like track back and turn-by-turn navigation, a larger display, and much improved multi-day battery. Still, this sets the bar for the new default smartwatch experience on Android, and gives rivals something to aim for. Sadly, Google hasn’t nailed it in every department, with unpredictable battery life, restrictions when it comes to charging and, most odd of all, lacking proper automatic workout detection despite featuring Fitbit-powered tracking.

More than that though, it’s packed with loads of great tech and works brilliantly thanks to the combination of the intuitive Wear OS 3 software, a digital crown, and a dazzling screen.įitness tracking is handled by Fitbit, which also makes this the best smartwatch right now for anyone who wants to keep their data in the Fitbit family, as it’s comfortably better than Fitbit’s own Sense 2 and Versa 4, which weren’t good enough to feature in this chart. Not only does it look and feel great, with its own personality, but it’s also compact, light, and comfortable too. One of the biggest draws of the first official Pixel Watch is its beautiful design.

Kohls fitbit versa 3