Best Smartwatches Under $200 – A Complete Buying Guide

With older smartwatches now facing severe cuts given that they’re a few generations behind, do brands like Amazfit and Fitbit have what it takes to take down behemoths like Samsung and Apple in terms of functionality and utility? To answer that question, we’ve accumulated a list of the best smartwatches in the range of $101-$200 

What To Expect In a $200 Smartwatch?

From what we’ve seen already, a $100 smartwatch takes care of all the basics. And now, the extra amount is meant to act as a refinement to an already great package. In essence, if you are looking for better build quality, more rugged, durable offerings, then this is a great budget to look out for.

Of course, you’ll be looking at all the latest features you can expect from a smartwatch that also includes LTE in some cases. Besides that, almost all watches in the list feature navigation (GPS), alongside Always On Displays and the latest and greatest in display technology as well.

Here’s what you can expect:

Design	Nothing original
Build Materials / Quality	Plastic / Aluminum
Software	Wear OS / watchOS / Propietary
Battery Life	1 Day – 6 Months
Health / Fitness Tracking	Advanced
Responsiveness	Great

1. Amazfit GTR 3

Connections	Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS
Features	Heart Rate Monitoring, Sleep Monitoring, Breathing
Battery Life	21 Days
Additional Features	Skin Temperature, Navigation, SPO2
Compatibility	iOS and Android

The Amazfit GTR 3 is an amazing package for the price. It is sleek, stylish, modern, and elegant. Featuring a beautiful AMOLED display that works on both iOS and Android, you gain access to tons of fitness-oriented features alongside GPS navigation coming in standard.

While using a proprietary OS, we still found all the applications that we needed from a smartwatch to be ever-so-present. Unlike most of the other watches mentioned in this list, the GTR 3 has a stellar battery life of about 14 days which can be extended to 38 days if you let go of GPS navigation.

Besides that, the watch features a 5 ATM water resistance with sophisticated sensors present within that let you track your SpO2 alongside the ability to hone and track over 80 different workouts. 

Lastly, the watch also comes in with Amazon Alexa and an offline assistant too. The offline assistant – while more primitive – ended up being much more useful as we could go out on runs with offloaded music on the watch’s 3 GBs worth of ROM and invoke the voice assistant to skip or play a particular song.

Pros:

• Extremely good-looking display
• The offline voice assistant is an added bonus

Cons:

• Prone to glitches and bugs

2. Fitbit Versa 3

Connections	Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS
Features	Heart Rate Monitoring, Sleep Monitoring, Breathing
Battery Life	6 Days
Additional Features	Skin Temperature, Navigation, SPO2
Compatibility	iOS and Android

The Fitbit Versa 3 has recently gone through a price cut which has immediately turned it into the best smartwatches you can get for under $200. With the Versa 3, we finally have GPS integration in the iconic product.

With it, your workouts will be tracked with GPS synchronization allowing for more accurate step counting as well. However, we still have qualms with the way Fitbit structures its payment module. For example, if you wanted to take a look at detailed health metrics, you’ll need to pay up an extra sum in order to do so.

Moreover, the placement of the buttons on the Versa 3 is a step-down from Versa 2. Instead of a physical button, we are met with an inductive button that isn’t as sensitive as we’d like it to be. 

Other than that, the watch has a gorgeous display – it’s bright and colorful. To our surprise, it has about 6 days of battery life even with GPS being turned on most of the time. Don’t get us wrong, the navigation / tracking isn’t at the level of a Garmin or Apple Watch, but it does get the job done.

In terms of applications, you’ll find tons of Fitbit concocted apps for your usage. Plus, the build quality is nothing to choke at either. All in all, the Versa 3 is a great package, especially at this price point.

Pros:

• Sleek design 
• Quite comfortable to wear

Cons:

• Some features are locked behind a paywall

3. Huawei Watch GT 2 

Connections	Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS
Features	Heart Rate Monitoring, Sleep Monitoring, Breathing
Battery Life	2 Weeks
Additional Features	Navigation, SPO2
Compatibility	iOS, and Android

Ah, Huawei. How could we’ve gone through this list without mentioning this behemoth brand? The GT was known for its stellar battery life and astonishing design, and the GT 2 is no different. It still features a classic design that’s hard to miss.

However, besides that, Huawei has decided to run its own proprietary Lite OS. And, we’ve personally had some issues with using the software. It is laggy in some cases and Huawei has cut down on a lot of the applications that make a smartwatch smart. There’s no automatic fitness tracking, LTE isn’t an option and GPS tracking was shoddy on some occasions.

Besides that though, if you were looking for an amazing display and stellar battery life of up to two weeks, then the GT 2 is an obvious choice. Beware though, we did face some connection issues with our model. However, that might not be applicable to yours.

Pros:

• Amazing battery life
• Great build quality 

Cons:

• Software is quite buggy

4. Garmin Vivoactive 3

Connections	Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS
Features	Heart Rate Monitoring, Sleep Monitoring, Breathing
Battery Life	13 Hours (with GPS) / 7 Days (without GPS)
Additional Features	Navigation, SPO2
Compatibility	iOS and Android

The Vivoactive 3 is the definition of a solid watch. Keeping the legacy of brand in mind, the watch features stellar fitness tracking amongst sleep and stress tracking. The watch is also the first from Garmin to feature Garmin Py – their proprietary method of making contactless payments.

The Vivoactive 3 series is meant for a budget consumer. In essence, it doesn’t have the high-end features that you’d expect from the Fenix. Instead, the Vivoactive 3 aims to compete with the likes of the Apple Watch and the Fitbit Versa. And, it does a great job at it.

If you are one whose very into fitness and wants the most accurate, detailed metrics possible while still having a tracker that looks good and quite packs a punch with a rated week of battery life, look no further than the Vivoactive 3.

Pros:

• Allows you to track a plethora of workouts
• Great GPS tracking

Cons:

• Notification support on iOS isn’t all that great

5. Samsung Galaxy Watch 

The Samsung Galaxy Watch was released at a time when the brand was still trying to make their proprietary Tizen OS still work. While we all know how that tale ended, the Galaxy Watch definitely brought a lot to the table that is still relevant to this day.

For starters, unlike their recent Wear OS iterations, you can still connect a Samsung Galaxy Watch with an iPhone. While they work best with Samsung’s, you can still get away with health tracking and viewing rudementary notifications.

Besides that, we’re huge fans of the build quality and design. You’d think for a second that the watch belongs to an echelon of its own in terms of its aesthetics. And, you wouldn’t be very wrong. Fitness tracking and GPS were great as well.

However, if you were looking for extended software support or for in-built applications, then look elsewhere. Sadly, with the demise of Tizen OS, so did most of the developer support. While most apps still work, we aren’t really sure how long that’ll last. Besides that, the watch lasts for a whopping 7 days on a full charge!

Pros:

• Aesthetically pleasing design that remains relevant
• Great battery life

Cons:

• Future software updates may just be a pipe dream

6. Apple Watch Series 3

Connections	Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, LTE
Features	Heart Rate Monitoring, Sleep Monitoring, Breathing
Battery Life	18 Hours
Additional Features	Navigation
Compatibility	iOS

Apple Watches have always been an absolute favorite for us here at SmartwatchesPro. And, for good reason. While the Series 3 definitely shows its age as compared to some other mentions in this list, it doesn’t fall that behind.

In essence, if you have an iPhone and are under a budget, the Series 3 is a no-brainer. Why’s that? Well, think about it. What precisely do you expect from a smartwatch in this budget category? Navigation? Fitness tracking? Notifications? Well, for all that and much more – the Series 3 absolutely nails it.

In terms of caveats, the design is quite dated. In fact, the newer Series 7 has a much larger display with smaller bezels that makes the Series 3 look antique. But, that doesn’t mean that the Series 3 isn’t functional or that the text is unreadable in any way or form. Quite the contrary actually.

Lastly, we’ve all sung praises about Apple’s care about its previous products. And, the Watch Series 3 is no different. It still doesn’t feel very laggy, the onboard Apple S3 processor handles everything well. And, with a battery life of about 18 hours, you can go through a day quite swimmingly.

Pros:

• Works well with iPhones
• Stellar build quality
• Multiple band options

Cons:

• Only works with iPhones
• Antiquated design

7. Fitbit Charge 4

Connections	Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, NFC
Features	Heart Rate Monitoring, Sleep Monitoring, Breathing
Battery Life	7 Days
Additional Features	Navigation, Skin Temperature, Fitbit Pay
Compatibility	iOS and Android

Okay yes, the Fitbit Charge 4 is a fitness tracker and not a smartwatch. But honestly, what difference does it make in this price bracket? In most cases, not much. For example, you can still view your notifications (albeit on a more cramped screen), and track your health and fitness on the fly.

The added advantage or value of a Fitbit is second to none at this price bracket. You gain access to a great after-market support process, the ability to use the Fitbit app which is quite fleshed out to cater to all your needs. Besides that, you also get Fitbit Pay which allows you to make contactless payments.

The Charge 4 features a monochrome display that doesn’t really look all that modern. But, the design language itself is sleek and the wrist fits perfectly on your wrist. You won’t have to fidget around with confusing menus as the UI is quite intuitive. 

Like all other Fitbits, there’s a great amount of emphasis placed on the Charge’s stellar battery life. And, it delivers. With a rated 7 days of battery life, you’ll be able to take the tracker for a jog, run or even a hike and won’t need to worry about plugging it in anytime soon.

If you are in the market for a cheap wearable that nails the basics and doesn’t take up a whole lot of space on your wrist – the Charge 4 is a good pickup.

Pros:

• Access to Fitbit Pay
• Sleek on your wrist

Cons:

• The small screen can lead to notifications being very hard to see

8. Garmin Forerunner 35 

Connections	Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS
Features	Heart Rate Monitoring, Sleep Monitoring, Breathing
Battery Life	9 to 30 Days (depending on usage)
Additional Features	Navigation, High Sensitivity Reciever
Compatibility	iOS and Android

Not a fan of charging your watch, don’t worry – the Garmin Forerunner 35 is the perfect fit for you. While a relatively older device, the Forerunner 35 features excellent build quality, and the brand’s repute leads the device to maintain its robust durability even at this very low price point.

The Forerunner has great fitness tracking, perhaps best in class, and even extremely accurate GPS tracking too. Users have reported the battery to last for over a month when used without a GPS. 

There are a few caveats though, the watch has a monochrome display and the design feels quite dated and bulky. Moreover, it doesn’t have a touchscreen (Boohoo!) Not to worry though, the four buttons located at all sides control your playback, let you unlock the watch, navigate within it and view your notifications. 

Don’t confuse the monochrome display with a blurry one. We were able to read our messages and incoming notifications just fine. One added advantage is the fact that the screen is always on with the Garmin Forerunner. There comes no point where you actually need to turn the screen off. For us, this was a big plus as we didn’t need to make exaggerated motions to take a quick glance at our steps.

Pros:

• Extremely great battery life
• Always-On display
• Great battery life

Cons:

• No touchscreen
• Lack of newer features like SpO2, skin temperature, and stress tracking

9. Fossil Men’s Machine

Connections	Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
Features	Heart Rate Monitoring, Sleep Monitoring,
Battery Life	6 Months
Additional Features	Customizable Buttons
Compatibility	iOS, Android

The Fossil Men’s Machine hybrid smartwatch takes a unique approach to the premise of what truly makes a watch smart. If you take a look at the watch, you’d not be mistaken to realize that it looks exactly like any typical traditional smartwatch.

However, the exterior of the watch only tells part of the tale. But, if you were expecting GPS tracking, and great fitness-oriented features, look elsewhere. The Fossil Men’s Machine is here to just get the basics done. You can bind a few functions to any of the three buttons that are present on the watch.

Besides that, the watch will track your sleep, your steps, and the number of calories you’ve burnt and provide slight haptic feedback whenever you get a notification. Besides that, there’s nothing else to expect from the watch.

The app itself was relatively bugged and reviewers (and ourselves) noticed a slight delay / lag with each operation. However, that can be fixed by keeping the application open constantly. You will not need to charge the watch as it runs on typical batteries that need a replacement every 6 months!

So, if you like the looks, appreciate some smart features, and aren’t in the mood of charging your smartwatch at all, then the Fossil Men’s Machine is the perfect watch for you. 

Pros:

• Best battery life we’ve ever seen in a watch
• Looks like a traditional watch

Cons:

• Not a lot of smart features

Why We Ranked The Amazfit GTR 3 As The Best Overall

The Amazfit GTR 3 features a cleaner, more minimal design, and a much better-looking AMOLED display. But besides that, the Versa 3 has most of its fitness-related features locked behind a paywall. And, we aren’t huge fans of that.

Just like our previous list of the best smartwatches under $100, Amazfit simply seems to be the king of budget smartwatches. They have excellent quality, feel solid, and smooth, and tick all the boxes when it comes to fundamental features. 

In terms of build quality, we feel like the GT3 was slightly better than the Versa 3. While the design is more of a subjective viewpoint, the Versa 3 does have much larger bezels which leads it to have a slightly dated look.

Verdict

After weeks worth of testing, we’ve finally been able to take a look at the most popular smartwatches under $200 and have come to an opinion. While all of these watches are great in their own right, there certainly are some standouts. Here’s how each Watch ranks in their respective categories:

Best Overall	Amazfit GTR 3
Best Fitbit	Fitbit Charge 4
Best Battery Life	Fossil Men’s Machine
Best Design	Apple Watch Series 3
Best Fitness Tracking	Garmin Vivoactive 3

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