(Brittany Gonçalves)
If you've been considering investing in a new smartwatch or fitness tracker, now is the time. Amazon is kicking off its Prime Big Deal Days fall sales event early with huge discounts on top smartwatch models. We've reviewed tons of wearable tech, and some of our favorite smartwatches are on sale right now, including options for both Android and iPhone users. Whether you're looking for expansive fitness tracking, smart connectivity features, or a beautiful design (or maybe all three!), there's a smartwatch deal for you right now (and more to come on October 8).
Based on our review, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 is the clear top choice for Android users in need of a high-performing, compatible smartwatch—and it's over $140 off right now. Not only does it deliver in terms of performance with advanced health sensors and tons of digital apps and features, but it's also aesthetically stunning. The touch bevel design gives it a sleek look while the AMOLED display creates a vividly bright and colorful watch face (which can be set to always-on, by the way).
For the serious Android adventurers and athletes, the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra offers the technical performance and rugged durability you need. In addition to highly detailed sleep analysis (including snore detection) and multisport tracking, it features AI-based recommendations to maximize your progress, giving an energy score, wellness score, and more. In terms of hardware, it's slightly bigger and beefier with a titanium build and even has a customizable quick button to make navigation easier.
For iPhone users, we love the Apple Watch Series 9, giving it our high rating of "Outstanding". Powered by the fast and efficient S9 chip, it can do just about everything you'd want: record workouts and daily steps, measure health metrics like ECG and sleep, answer calls and texts, stream music and podcasts, access apps, set alarms, and more. Unless you want the more refined design and audio playback capability of the new Apple Watch Series 10, you're basically getting the same performance and features from the Series 9, only at a lower price.
Coming in under $200, the latest Apple Watch SE that we reviewed hits the sweet spot in terms of balancing performance with price. It's marketed as the "budget-friendly" model in the Apple Watch line-up, but still boasts many of the same core features, including fall detection, irregular heart rate and rhythm notifications, and pretty much the same access to apps and connectivity features. Basically, if you can forgo an always-on display and some of the more specialized health metrics, like body temperature and ECG, then the Apple Watch SE offers the most bang for your buck, especially on sale.
Compatible with both iOS and Android, the Garmin Venu 2 is designed for fitness enthusiasts with a sense of style. Featuring over 25 exercise modes and even preloaded animated workouts, it tracks key health and performance metrics, like heart rate, energy, blood oxygen levels, respiration, sleep, and more, all in addition to on-board music storage. Best of all, it doesn't have the traditional bulky or sporty aesthetic of a sportswatch, instead boasting a sleek stainless steel bezel and colorful AMOLED display screen.
If your top priority is a smartwatch that won't die on you, then the One Plus Watch 2 is your best bet. Equipped with a powerful 500mAH battery, this smartwatch lasts up to 100 hours on a single charge in default smart mode, 48 hours in GPS mode, or a whopping 12 days in power-saving mode. With a robust offering of lifestyle and fitness-tracking features, including third-party app support, mobile payments, and voice-assistant capabilities, it's a top contendor for Android users, which is why it earned a rating of "Excellent" in our review.
Earning our Editor's Choice Award for high-end fitness tracker, the Garmin Vivoactive 4 measures tons of advanced metrics, including (underwater) heart rate, respiration rate, stress level, pulse ox, and more, with access to over 20 preloaded sports apps and on-screen animations. Thanks to onboard music storage, you can listen to 500 songs via Bluetooth, making it an ideal option if you prefer to workout phone-free. Plus, unlike more basic fitness trackers, this smartwatch offers handy smart features, including contactless payments and third-party apps.