'I love everything about it!': These stylish smartwatches will help you reach your fitness goals — and they make great gifts
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Whether you're a smartwatch convert or hovering on the technological fence, the affordability and capabilities of today's smartwatches may just convince you to join the well-connected side.
With built-in fitness-tracking functions like distance, elevation, calories burned, and heart rate, these sleek and practical watches will help you reach your fitness goals while alerting you to text messages and notifications on your smartphone.
A unique gift idea for fitness fanatics, tech-junkies, or anyone looking to keep track of their health, these 11 smartwatches are guaranteed to be a hit under the tree. And starting at just $40, they're a gift to your holiday budget as well.
Samsung Galaxy Smartwatch 46mm
Save $80 on the Samsung Galaxy Smartwatch with a built-in heart rate monitor. Made of stainless steel and scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass DX+, the durable watch will see you through all of your fitness tracking needs, including fitness monitoring, heart rate, distance, speed, pace and calorie tracking. "[It's the] best-looking smartwatch!" said one enthusiastic reviewer. "It tracks my fitness, and I'm able to change music and volume while I workout directly on the watch rather than having to take out my phone. Overall I never wanted or needed a smartwatch until I got this as a gift from my wife, and I love it!"
SHOP IT: Best Buy, $250 (originally $330)
L8star Fitness Tracker Smart Wrist Band
At less than $40, L8star's fitness-tracking device is Amazon's Choice for smartwatches. Enable six different sport modes to track activity, calories burned, heart rate, and distance. "[It's the] perfect watch," said one reviewer. "This is an awesome watch. It's super easy to use. Just connect the Bluetooth, [and] when you get the call or message, the watch will shake. My working place is always noisy, so it's helped me a lot. Like it so so much, it's really worth the money."
SHOP IT: Amazon, $40
Fitbit Versa 2 Smartwatch
Reach your fitness goals with Fitbit Versa 2's wearable technology. The smartwatch tracks calories burned, sleep patterns, and heart rate in a functional and stylish design. The Amazon Alexa-enabled device is available in five colours and will wirelessly sync with your smartphone. Ninety-four percent of users said they would recommend the sleek smartwatch to a friend.
SHOP IT: Best Buy, $230
Apple Watch Series 5
The Apple Watch 5 Series always-on display alerts you to the time, phone notifications, and other important information and has a 30 percent larger screen display than the Series 3 watch. It comes with a built-in compass, elevation and GPS tracking, emergency SOS and fall detection.
SHOP IT: The Source, $530
Skagen Hagen Connected Steel-Mesh Hybrid Smartwatch
Skagen's sleek smartwatch has the look and feel of a regular watch with smartwatch technology. The device monitors sleep, tracks physical activity, and provides smartphone notification alerts. The watch face is interchangeable with all Skagen 20mm bands for a customizable and stylish look.
SHOP IT: Amazon, $196
AIKELA Fitness Tracker Smart Watch
For less than $50, AIKELA's fitness tracking smartwatch makes for an accessible entry point into smartwatch technology. The device tracks calories burned, provides 24-hour continuous heart rate monitoring, and analyzes sleep quality. It can be linked to apps like Whatsapp, Instagram, and Twitter, and is waterproof up to a depth of 50-metres. "The greatest feature of this tracker has to be its insanely great battery life," raved one reviewer. "I've had this thing a week so far and have not had to charge it yet."
SHOP IT: Amazon, $50
Honor Band 5 Smart Bracelet Watch
With near-perfect reviews, Honor's slim-built and waterproof smartwatch is a cost-effective model for 24-hour real-time heart rate monitoring. Its sleep-tracking technology automatically records REM, light, and deep sleep and provides suggestions for sleep improvement. "Highly recommended sweet spot for function at a value price point," said one five-star reviewer. "App is intuitive and easy to use. [...] Daily, weekly, monthly displays all present to see data at a glance. Would highly recommend."
SHOP IT: Amazon, from $58
Garmin Forerunner 35 Watch
The highly-rated Garmin Forerunner 35 has built-in GPS to track your activity no matter where you are, even under tree cover. The watch has 24/7 heart rate monitoring and can be connected to your phone for smart notifications, music control, and automatic uploads to Garmin's online fitness community. "If you're a casual runner considering this watch, just buy it," advised a happy shopper. "This is a great entry-level device that ticks all the boxes if you're a casual runner looking to get into a Garmin device."
SHOP IT: Amazon, $165
Samsung Galaxy Active 40mm Smartwatch
The Samsung Galaxy Watch Active has garnered more than 1,100 five-star reviews on the Best Buy website. The elegantly designed smartwatch offers real-time tracking for calories, distance, and more than 40 exercises. The Samsung watch responds to voice commands and syncs with your phone, including iPhone and Android models. "Worthy purchase!" a reviewer noted. "I love everything about it. It is very efficient and flashy! Tracks all of my activities, including a daily briefing on current events."
SHOP IT: Best Buy, $250
Fossil Machine Stainless Steel Hybrid Smartwatch
Fossil's hybrid smartwatch is equipped with activity and sleep tracking in its companion smartphone app. Compatible with iPhone and Android phones, the rugged-banded watch comes with a coin cell battery that lasts up to 12 months without charging. "Just buy it," wrote one Amazon shopper. "The leather feels nice, and the watch looks stealthy.”
SHOP IT: Amazon, $190 (originally $205)
GOKOO Fitness Tracker Smart Watch
GOKOO's chainlink smartwatch is a stylish alternative to traditional athletic smartwatch styles. Fitted with a versatile gold metal band, the smartwatch has a customizable high-definition touch screen with adjustable brightness. The GOKOO watch automatically monitors your heart rate and blood pressure throughout the day and tracks your sleep at night. Connect your smartphone to the watch via Bluetooth to be alerted of text messages and track daily physical activity, weather forecasts and music control.
SHOP IT: Amazon, $80
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