You can take calls, send and receive texts, and give commands to your voice assistant. But sometimes it’s easier to do all of these things from your wrist. That’s where a smartwatch comes in. The Apple Watch is the gold standard for smartwatches, but it only works with Apple’s iPhones.
If you’re one of the billions of people who use an Android phone, you have a lot more options for smartwatches, but most of the smartwatches we’ve seen are too slow, bulky, or lacking in features to be worth buying. We’ve tested dozens of smartwatches for Android phones, including all the latest models, and the Samsung Galaxy Watch6 is the best choice for most Android phone users.
Our Recommendations
Galaxy Watch6 puts the latest Wear OS software on your wrist, delivering fast performance, extensive app support, and a sleek, comfortable design.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch6 runs the latest version of Google’s Wear OS software, with a wide selection of watch apps available to download from the Google Play Store. The software looks and works similarly to Samsung smartphones, customized with Samsung’s One UI skin. The Galaxy Watch6 comes in 40mm and 44mm sizes to fit most wrists, and the OLED display looks great. The Galaxy Watch6 can also automatically detect and record activity and health metrics. The unobtrusive design matches almost any style, and the bands are easy to swap out.
Choose your upgrade
The Galaxy Watch6 Classic has everything great about the Galaxy Watch6, plus a durable stainless steel frame and a rotating bezel for faster navigation, but it’s also more expensive and heavier.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch6 Classic has almost the same specs and features as the regular Galaxy Watch6, but it’s a little larger (43mm vs 47mm) and made from more durable stainless steel instead of aluminum. Samsung also brought back the rotating bezel to this watch after removing the feature in its 2022 smartwatch. This ring around the display makes navigating your list of apps and notifications much faster. However, the Galaxy Watch6 Classic is larger and heavier than the Galaxy Watch6, but has the same battery capacity, so you’ll need to charge it every day.
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The Pixel Watch 2 is equipped with the latest wearable processor, and its compact, elegant design makes it one of the most comfortable smartwatches we’ve ever tested.
Google’s $350 Pixel Watch 2 is stylish and comfortable, with a curvaceous aluminum design and a small but vibrant display. Google’s version of Wear OS makes this smartwatch perfect for pairing with a Pixel phone, but it works with non-Pixel phones as well. However, it only comes in one size and has a proprietary band connector, making it hard to find a compatible smartwatch strap. And if something does go wrong with the domed glass watch face, it’s hard to repair.
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While most smartwatches need to be charged every night, the TicWatch Pro 5 lasts for several days with heavy use and delivers great performance thanks to its state-of-the-art wearable processor.
The Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 5 has a compact, comfortable design, and its proprietary display technology allows it to last nearly a week without charging. Enabling the watch’s Essential Mode can extend that time even further. However, the TicWatch Pro 5 uses an older version of Wear OS, the Phone app is hard to use, and Amazon Alexa is the only voice assistant option.