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The Best Smartwatches for Your Money
Motorola Moto 360 (2nd gen) (46mm)
For the luxury-minded who demands custom styling
While this second-generation Moto ($300) retains the distinctively round shape of the first Moto 360, it does come with a few new features and a myriad of customization options. These include a model with built-in GPS for fitness tracking independent of a smartphone, wireless NFC for unlocking doors without a key, and an impressive range of wristband materials, colors, and patterns.
This version is made of 316L stainless steel, a tough, lustrous metal used in many fine watches. Its 46mm-diameter case supports conventional 22mm watch bands. Bands purchased from Motorola have a sliding bolt to make swapping them much easier than wrestling with the tiny, spring-loaded pins used to hold conventional watch straps in place.
For women, there’s a Moto 360 that’s nearly identical to the 42mm version except that its lug is narrower to accommodate the thinner, 16mm watch bands popular in female fashion.
In addition to onboard GPS for tracking your progress on the running trail, the Moto 360 has an LCD display that can switch into a battery-saving, always-on “transmissive” mode. The mode, made possible by the latest version of Android Wear OS 2, significantly dims the watch face.
This watch is fairly comfortable to wear, and easy to charge: Just drop it into its small cradle. The Moto 360’s color touchscreen is easy to use, and the watch also accepts voice commands.
Apple Watch Sport (42mm)
For anyone looking for a cheaper Apple
The steel Apple Watch starts at $500 and the price can climb into the thousands if you dive into premium metals and finer bands.
The entry-level Sport version of the Apple Watch is made of aluminum and comes with a rubber-like fluoroelastomer band, which helps it weigh and cost less (about $350) than the company’s other Watch variety. It’s also slightly less tough. The Sport’s face is constructed from what Apple describes as “Ion-X” glass, which is similar to the Corning Gorilla Glass found on many smartphones.
The Sport has fewer watchband options than the Apple’s flagship Watch. A 38mm version is available for thinner wrists—and smaller budgets. It costs about $50 less.
In other respects, the Sport delivers all of the functionality of its more expensive sibling—and it’s just as handsome. The Sport discerns among a number of taps and swipes used to unlock capabilities ranging from fitness tracking and coaching to making phone calls (when paired to an iPhone).
You can turn the Digital Crown to quickly zoom in and out on a map or scroll through a list, without blocking your screen with fingers. A short press on the Digital Crown brings you back to the previous screen and eventually to the home screen, while a long press summons Siri (Apple’s intelligent personal assistant) to handle searches and other tasks hands-free.
Press the button below the Digital Crown to access up to 10 favorite contacts; a feature called Digital Touch enables you to send them a line drawing or animations, or even a sample of your heartbeat that they’ll feel on their wrist.
The Apple Watch Sport has a lot of other tricks, as well. It can serve as a viewfinder and remote control for an iPhone camera; it can be used to control music on other Apple devices; and it will remind you to stand up and stretch if you’ve been inactive for too long.
Pebble Time
For the budget-minded
If this Pebble were any cheaper, it would only tell you the time. But the watch does offer a lot for the money—if you can look past its bulky, 1970s digital look. It does a great job of alerting you about e-mails, texts, and other app notifications fielded by your smartphone. And it has an easy-to-master interface that can be traversed via a button push or two (it lacks a touchscreen). The watch is also rugged, with the ability to survive a dunk in 164 feet of water for about 30 minutes.
Its always-on color e-paper display has an LED backlight, but it’s only 0.8 × 0.9 inches and provides a so-so resolution of 182 pixels per inch that allows for just cartoonish watch faces. The display is quite easy to see in sunlight, but nearly illegible under the subdued lighting conditions you frequently encounter indoors. And the color is nothing close to the dynamic hues you’ll find on an Apple or other LCD-based smartwatch. In fact, the dull tint is reminiscent of a comic book with pages that have been bleached by the sun.
Pebble Time Round (20mm strap)
Best for small wrists
This version of the Pebble Time is also one of the slimmest and most watch-like smartwatches in our Ratings. Its round case is 0.29 inches thick. But it’s also less water-resistant than its Time siblings, which can survive a 30-minute dunk in 164 feet of water. This one needs CPR below 3.3 feet. But it has the same simple Pebble interface, which is easy to master and can be traversed via a button push or two (it lacks a touchscreen).
Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers on this website. Copyright © 2006-2015 Consumers Union of U.S.
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