Best Smartwatches Under £100 | 2022 Comparison & Awesome Buyer’s Guide
What is the best smartwatch for under £100? Apart from performing timekeeping functions, the gadget should do a lot of other things. These are the tracking of your physical activity, sleep, and heart rate monitor. Whether you are engaged in a fitness activity, follow a weight loss plan, or have some health issues, such a device will come in handy. An affordable smartwatch does not necessarily mean low quality.
If you can afford going a little bit beyond the budget of £100, you can buy a cool gadget with broad functionality — the Fossil Men's GEN 5 + 5E Touchscreen Smartwatch. Not only does it automatically track your activity, steps, pulse, cardio level, and sleep but also sends notifications on text messages and calls.
Even better, you can answer the calls using a built-in speaker and reply to text messages with a tap. Music lovers will appreciate its music control function, allowing for changing volume or skipping tracks. The settings are customizable, while smart battery modes can be used to extend the battery life.
If you prefer to stay within the £100 budget, consider the HUAWEI Watch GT 2 Smart Watch with a 1.39-inch AMOLED Display and a 3D glass screen. Built with both GPS and GLONASS positioning systems, this affordable gadget will track your fitness progress, sleep, and calories burned.
You can answer and cancel incoming calls via Bluetooth and read text messages. However, this smartwatch is not designed to send text replies. A strong point of this model is a long, two-week battery life and low power consumption.
If you opt for a model from a trusted brand, you can get a budget choice that does the job well. Another thing to consider is design. Not only should it be appealing and user-friendly, but it should also be sturdy enough and waterproof. Some other features like battery life, access to apps, and the number of exercise modes are also worth considering. We believe that Fitbit Versa 2 Health & Fitness Smartwatch meets these criteria best.
The Main Features of Smartwatches Under £100
Not only do smartwatches show you time, as all regular watches do, but they can also help you spend this time more efficiently and wisely.
So what features do smartwatches under £100 typically include? First of all, they support most of the common apps that you may have on your phone, including social media applications. Some models even come with sim card slots allowing you to make calls and send text messages.
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Depending on the model, these devices can have smartphone notifications and built-in GPS. Smartwatches are especially helpful for people who are engaged in fitness and sports activities or have some health issues.
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Many such gadgets are equipped with a heart rate monitor, a pedometer, a step tracker, and a sleep monitor. There are models that monitor your heart rate, sending a notification once any deviation is detected. While most smartwatches offer these features, not all of them provide you with accurate tracking. That is why, when looking for an affordable smartwatch do not opt for cheap unbranded.
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When it comes to design, smartwatches with a waterproof ability have become increasingly popular now. That said, waterproof smartwatches should not be confused with diving watches. The latter has a water resistance of up to 300 meters, while the former are designed only for swimming, not diving, and staying underwater for some time. When the product description says that the smartwatch is water-resistant of up to 50 meters, this does not mean that you can safely dive that deep wearing this gadget. This means that the device was successfully tested at this depth in a laboratory setting.
TOP Best Smartwatches Under £100 Compared
Below, you will find the best smartwatches under 100. The most expensive and reliable model on the list, Fitbit, comes at a price of around £100, while the others will cost you as little as £40-£70. You can choose a branded gadget with a sleek design, an affordable smartwatch for kids, or a cheap smartwatch with all basic features.
1. Amazfit Bip Smartwatch
This is another reliable smartwatch from a trustworthy brand. Amazfit is an American brand that produces wearable devices based on smart technology. Established 4 years ago, it is owned by Huami, which is primarily known as a provider for Xiaomi. In recent years, Huami has won several awards from Reddot Design and Good Design. The former is an international design prize while the latter is a Japanese design evaluation system.
What I particularly like about Amazfit Bip Smartwatch is that it comes with a long-lasting battery. Remarkably, the device can operate for about a month on a single charge. That said, it does not take long to charge the battery — less than 3 hours. So what does the gadget do? If you pay close attention to your health, you will appreciate its ability to monitor heart rate, calories burned, and the quality of your sleep.
The built-in GPS allows for tracking steps and distance walked. Depending on the type of sports activity you are engaged in, you can choose from 4 sports modes. Whether you are an enthusiastic runner or a cyclist, you will be able to customize the smartwatch to your needs. With this device, you will also get missed calls, SMS, and email notifications along with alerts from social network services.
2. Fitbit Versa 2 Smartwatch - Best Overall
Fitbit smartwatches are well-known on the market and are considered to be a trusted brand. Based in San Francisco, the company produces wearable devices that track the user’s activity, sleep, heart rate, and other data. With 12-year experience in the market of smartwatches and fitness trackers, Fitbit offers innovative gadgets to help its customers live a more active and healthier life.
Fitbit products were used in a number of scientific studies related to physical activity and weight loss issues. For example, a study conducted by Arizona State University explored the effects of wearing a Fitbit gadget. The results show that this is an effective way to make the user's lifestyle healthier. Today, Fitbit is one of the key players in the global digital fitness market, along with such giants as Apple and Samsung.
Therefore, if we focus on smartwatches for under £100, Fitbit Versa 2 seems to be an obvious leader. Now, let’s take a look at what features this gadget offers. The device will track steps and other fitness data as well as the quality and stages of sleep. On top of that, it will monitor your heart rate throughout the day, so that you could get a complete picture.
This gadget can automatically record your workouts or you can use one of over 15 modes to track your exercise yourself based on your preferences. The battery lasts for more than four days, given you make the most of it and use the watch both day and night. The product has an amazingly sleek design and a swim-proof body. Besides, it will allow you to use not only applications offered by the developer. With this smartwatch, you can also enjoy your favorite apps — social media, business, or fitness ones.
And let’s not forget about music. For me, music and sports are two sides of the same coin. So one of the numerous things that I like about Fitbit Versa 2 is that it can control the music that plays out of your smartphone. Just to conclude, you get a branded feature-packed and super convenient smartwatch for some £100. A good deal, isn’t it?
3. Amazfit GTR 2e Smartwatch
GTR is a more advanced version of the Amazfit Bip — it has 24-hour heart rate monitoring with BioTracker biological tracking optical sensor and Blood-oxygen saturation measurement. This model is a little bit pricier than the above-mentioned one but has more advantages.
While the smartwatch may seem bulkier, it does not weigh much. One of its strong points is an amazingly rugged construction with a brilliant 1.39-inch AMOLED display. In case you are not familiar with the technology, the advantage of an AMOLED display is that it produces brighter colors, consumes less power, and is lighter and more flexible than LED ones. This is because an AMOLED display contains an extra layer of TFTs and organic compounds that emit light.
The second advantage of this model lies in the fact that it is equipped with a next-generation PPG sensor. This feature allows the gadget to monitor heart rate with high accuracy day and night. And thirdly, the Amazfit smartwatch tracks more sports than the Amazfit Bip model — you can choose from 90 different sports modes.
Products with 5 star rating
Popular Cheap Smart Watches Under £50
If you are looking for something less sophisticated than Fitbit, you may try this option. It has all the necessary functions, including sleep monitoring and real-time heart rate tracking. As for the former, the gadget will not only record the duration of your sleep but also evaluate its quality. One of the advantages of this model is a quick charging time ranging from 1 to 2 hours.
When compared to Fitbit, this smartwatch has fewer exercise modes. However, this may be sufficient for you and in this case, there is no reason to pay extra money for additional modes and features. Besides, this gadget also allows you to see the GPS map of your activities, but some customers complain that the GPS is extremely inaccurate. For those on a diet, this model offers a calorie counter feature. So you can not only count your steps and miles walked but also see how effective your exercise is in terms of weight loss.
With a weight of about 1.3 ounces, the device has a pretty large bright screen. This is where all calls and SMS you receive will be displayed. A slight vibrating sound will notify you of new messages and calls and send you reminders. It has an IP68 water-resistance rating, meaning you can bathe and shower wearing this smartwatch. But keep in mind that swimming with it would be a bad idea.
The major downside to this gadget is that it is not as reliable as Fitbit, which is understandable, considering the price.
VTech Kidizoom Smartwatch DX2 | Best Cheap for Kids
The kid-friendly design of this smartwatch suggests that it would be a great choice for younger users. But I personally suppose that this item will nicely suit ladies. No, not because the gadget is pink — although lots of girls see this color as a trigger for purchase decisions. While having all basic features, this item has an amazing user-friendly, and fun design.
Still, the manufacturer recommends this product for kids aged up to 12 years. A young user can choose from more than 50 customizable watch faces. The device comes with a motion sensor and a pedometer as well as the ability to upload videos and photos. It is equipped with two cameras allowing the user to take photos and selfies and customize them for the smartwatch face. On top of that, the gadget is splash-proof, meaning your kid will be able to run around and have fun in any weather.
What your kids will be especially grateful for is a Monster Catcher Game. I have to tell you a secret: capturing strange creatures in the real world is something that any child would do without stopping. That is why the gadget also includes a feature that any parent would undoubtedly appreciate — parental control. Not only will you be aware of your kid’s activities, but you can also be sure that your kid does not spend too much time playing games.
Testing & Customers Reviews
We found reviews from real YouTube bloggers about the products from our article.
Top Spec: "I've been using the Fitbit Versa 2 for just over half a year now for both the smart watch and the fitness tracker capabilities. The Fitbit Versa 2 features a 1.4 inch 300 by 300 AMOLED display with peak brightness of 1000 nits and for those of you that are unfamiliar with AMOLED displays black pixels are essentially turned off in order to get the deepest blacks possible and best contrast in the UI. Compared to LCD screens where every single pixel is constantly backlit and constantly on. Even if you're looking at a completely black screen or if your OS is in a dark mode all of those dark pixels are still enabled. So with an Amoled display not only does this save battery by having certain black pixels turned off but it also adds a lot of contrast to UI and different images that you might be looking at and colors appear a lot more vibrant. On top of that 1.4 inch AMOLED display is a layer of gorilla glass to protect the screen from scratching and cracking. Although over time my Versa 2 has accumulated a few dents and scratches the build quality has held up extremely well. So despite the watch being more inexpensively priced Fitbit definitely did not cheap out on the build of this watch. It feels a lot more premium and it does feel slightly rugged even though it's not one of those big clunky rugged watches. I've ended up biking in torrential rain a few times with this watch and every time that that's happened the watch has survived completely unscathed.
As for durability being a recreational cyclist I have taken a few tumbles on my bike while wearing this watch which is probably where I got those few scratches from and like I said before the watches that survived completely unscathed. I've slammed this into walls before into like corners and the screen has been completely fine the. Only scratches on the watch are on the actual body not even on the screen. So that gorilla glass screen has really stood up incredibly well and I even know people with some higher end watches that have hit it against a countertop or something and the entire thing just cracks. So if you're looking for a smartwatch that has a plethora of fitness capabilities and you want something that's somewhat rugged but it doesn't have the look of one of those rugged smart watches the Fitbit Versa 2 is a really good option for you. And the software is extremely well designed and very practical. Everything is extremely accessible and easy to locate. There are a few apps that come pre-installed on the device. If any of these are apps that you don't need you can uninstall them from the Fitbit app on your phone.
The Versa 2 does not have GPS built in so before you go on your run or your ride you will have to sync your phone with your smartwatch because the smartwatch will be simply using the GPS on your phone through the Fitbit app. I personally have not found this to be that big of an issue because I primarily use the Versa 2 for cycling and even if I wasn't tracking I would have my phone on me anyways because I will be going further away from home and there's more potential for falls or emergency situations. My guess is that this is likely how Fitbit was able to decrease the price so drastically on this device since the build quality is absolutely phenomenal and the UI is so clean. You do get notifications on this so it does have the basic smartphone functionality. Any notification that you get from your phone will come in on your watch and you can customize which apps you get notifications from. The Fitbit mobile app is incredibly well designed and easy to navigate. Aside from the basic customization the app's main purpose is to show you a lot more detail on the statistics that it collects throughout your day. Some of your daily stats can be seen on your watch such as your current heart rate or your steps for the day however the app provides much more nuanced statistics for you to see such as your cardio fitness, your calories burned for that day, your floors ascended or descended for that day and that's just the tip of the iceberg. Not to mention there's literally a subscription you can pay for that gives you even more statistics.
My favorite feature on this as of right now is the sleep tracking feature. It'll show you what time exactly you fell asleep based on when your heart rate drops and what time you woke up. It'll also show you what percentage of that was in deep sleep, what percent was in REM sleep and what percent was in light sleep as well as what percent of that you were actually awake during which might be more than you think. And then it takes all of that data into mind and gives you a sleep score ranging from 1 to 100. Obviously you're going to get a higher score if you get nine hours compared to maybe six hours but even if you get six hours of sleep it will be higher than you expect depending on your sleep quality and this feature has actually forced me to make some changes in the way I conduct my personal sleep schedule. It really makes you realize that if you fall asleep at 11 and wake up at six you think you're getting seven hours but in reality you're getting maybe just over six hours with the amount of awake time that's in there. So another feature that I found really useful is the geographic tracking of exercises such as runs, walks and rides. Now I'm sure this is a feature that pretty much all smartwatches have but I really like it on the Versa 2 because not only does it give you a map it also puts your heart rate on the map as well as your speed. And the third feature that I find really cool is the calorie tracker. It's essentially an app that allows you to log the exact foods that you're eating in order to see whether or not you're eating too much or too little for that day.
On Fitbit's website they say that the Fitbit Sense Versa 2 and Versa 3 last at least 6 days without any particularly strenuous use and as a long time Versa 2 user I can confirm that this number is accurate which is absolutely crazy. And for a quick comparison the 350 Apple watch series 6 lasts up to 18 hours as outlined on Apple's website and the Samsung Galaxy watch 4 lasts up to 24 hours. I charge the watch every single time I take a shower. So it doesn't get it up to full capacity every time I do that but if I shower once a day that gives me about like 20 each shower so I'm consistently still at a really good battery life number. I will note though if you do make use of the tracking with the runs and the rides and whatnot the battery life will decrease significantly because it's constantly being connected to your phone and using the GPS data. On Fitbit's website they do state that if you do use this feature often the battery life will be cut down to about five days and if you use the always on display it will be cut down to right around three days."
TechLine: "The HUAWEI Watch GT 2 looks like a regular watch and it's just beautiful. I'm also surprised at how light it is even on my tiny wrist. Also it's comfortable to wear for hours even while you are exercising. The case is made of stainless steel. That gives the device premium look and feel and the overall build quality is just excellent. Water resistance up to 50 meters lets you use the device without worries while exercising or even swimming. The display is one of the highlights of the GT2. It's not only tack sharp, vibrant, and easily viewable outdoors but it also has the so-called 3D design. That means that the edges of the screen and curve bezel are made of a single sheet of glass for that boundless display look. A 22 millimeters genuine leather strap is really comfortable to the skin but obviously it started showing some signs of wear after a couple of weeks since I used the watch for exercising.
The battery life is probably the best you can get out of this kind of smart wearable especially considering all the features it has. I could get over 10 days of battery. I use the continuous heart rate monitoring all the time. I received plenty of notifications which by the way work very well and there are no delays like on some other watches. I exercise three times a week for an hour or more. I'm pretty sure you can achieve Huawei's advertised 14 day battery life if you use the watch less intensively. Overall the battery life is pretty insane especially if you are coming from other wearables like the Samsung Galaxy watch Active. That is thanks to HUAWEI Kirin A1 which is the company's first wearable chipset. The GT 2 has a built-in speaker that can be used for listening to music if you forget your Bluetooth earphones. You can also control your phone's music. It works seamlessly with Spotify which I use most of the time. The speaker is also used for hands-free calling and you can now use this feature even if your phone is up to 150 meters away. This may sound like a gimmick but I actually found this feature really useful especially while I'm in the gym and your phone is far away from you.
The user interface is pretty simple and straightforward. The Huawei watch GT2 is compatible with 15 sports. I use it mostly for outer running and exercising at home. My experience - the watch tracks my heartrate very accurately as I always try to keep it in that pad burning zone. You may ask how do I know that? I compared the Huawei watch to the brand new $700 Garmin Phoenix 6S Pro and the heartrate numbers were pretty similar. The GPS is also very accurate and that gets your position fast. I've been using the 46 millimeters model of the watch. Even though the watch looks kind of big on my wrist I found it to be comfortable to wear while doing push-ups, pull-ups and even working with dumbbells. I also like that you can see a lot of information about your workout right on your wrist which is not the case with all the watches I've tested. You also get plenty of information during your workout so you always know your progress. The Huawei Health application gives you a lot of info about your health and fitness routines and it also merges steps data from your phone and a watch which is really important if you don't want to wear the watch all the time. The shortcomings? I can't really think of any, at least for now. In fact I might even say that the Huawei watch GT 2 is one of the best value smart watches you can buy at the moment as it brings a lot of value for the price."
LydiaaHow: "I've been wearing Fossil Gen 5 Smartwatch every day for about a week now, and I've just been loving it. It's extremely convenient to use. I love how I can put my phone away now when I commute and walk to work. There's more freedom in being hands-free from my phone and I can get all the notifications and calls on my watch. The watch comes with 1 gigabyte of RAM and as many of you already know that's quite a lot for most of the smartwatches out there and you can definitely tell with this watch from the movements. It's very fluid and smooth and the touch screen is really sensitive. I've never experienced any lag yet so far. The battery takes about one hour and 8 to 10 minutes to charge fully which is really fast and it can last typically from anywhere between 14 hours to about 22 hours a day. I've been using it mostly on the Daily mode for the battery saver and this one just has all of the features on except for Ok, Google', which I don't really need. I've been finding this particularly useful as this lasted me about 16 hours. It customarily lasts about 14 hours for me and that's with Ok, Google on and sound off. I also don't like using the extended mode which lasted the longest about 20 to 24 hours but it was really not useful for me because the always-on display is off and that's kind of the purpose for a watch for me at least.
The speaker for notifications and media is a little off and the volume is a little spotty. Dialing up or down from medium to high it's really the same volume. For Google Assistant make sure the screen is active or you are on the home screen, or it doesn't work. I find Google assistant particularly helpful when you need to send or reply to a quick text message and it's pretty responsive and convenient. Speech-to-text works really well. The response rate is just like how Google assistant is on my phone. Takes a couple of seconds for it to kind of load and then off goes the message. I would definitely suggest using Google messages as it would connect seamlessly. You can view photos here. The image looks clear enough for a SmartWatch. You can reply in three different ways you can either do speech to text or you can use the QWERTY keyboard, which I find fairly simple easy to use. You can also respond with emojis which is really convenient when you're really in a rush but you want to respond to that quick message. Just make sure you're connected to Wi-Fi and Bluetooth so you can send out these messages. Taking a call on the watch is definitely possible although I'm not sure if you would want to with speaker issues. Volume for calls pretty loud but once you pick up the call you cannot hear the other person at all. But hopefully they're working on some updates for this.
What I really like about Google's wear OS is that you can download a lot of different third-party apps onto your SmartWatch. I've been playing around with a few and definitely looking up on some good suggestions on Reddit. I've also tried out the gestures which I found not really helpful just because it takes a little bit longer to react. In the sunlight you can't really see the screen. The brightness is not that high but indoors it's fine. Outdoors you can see the screen, just not that well and you might have to hold it a little bit closer or tilt it a little bit. But indoor it looks just fine. I'm trying out Google fit for the first time so far I feel like the designs really clean I can track my steps and also track my workouts. So, for example, I do a lot of yoga I do a lot of robux then I can see how many minutes I do a day and how many calories burned and also track my heart rate, track my sleep. So it's definitely comparable to Samsung Health. You can connect your wireless headphones to your smartwatch. You can download music to your watch for offline playing which is nice if you want to go on a run without your phone. You can also play the music out loud. The speaker audio sounds much better than in calls. What's been really fun for me are particularly the watch faces and just how many options you have. So if you open up your Wear OS app on your phone you can change them and you can even change the settings on those faces as well."
