The best cheap smartwatch 2023: great budget wearables

The best cheap smartwatch lets you track your health and fitness from your wrist for less. Just because they’re economical that doesn’t mean they’re not capable of seeing you through your wellness journey, especially if you’re looking to get healthier  in this current cost of living crisis.

The best smartwatches – like the Apple Watch Ultra – may offer more functionality and look more elegant. However, not all of us need all the extra features. In fact, many many people will be content with a cheap alternative. Unless you’re aiming to take regular ECGs, train for an ultramarathon, or spend your days hiking in the wilderness, you don’t really need a top-end wearable. 

You may be tempted by a Google Pixel Watch or Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, but the best cheap smartwatches below will do the job well. Many of these budget smartwatches can come with vital features like GPS, heart rate monitoring, or a beautiful, responsive screen as well.

We’ve tested most smartwatches on the market so we know a thing or two about what makes a good one tick, even if it’s a budget model. Take a look at our picks of the best cheap smartwatches below, including some of the best Android smartwatches and smartwatches for iPhones.

The best cheap smartwatch 2023

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(Image credit: Fitbit)

The Fitbit Versa 2 is proof that affordable smartwatches can rival some of the premium models. Even if it’s an older smartwatch at this point, having been succeeded by Versa 3 in 2020 and Versa 4 in 2022, it’s still the best cheap smartwatch right now, thanks to it’s plethora of great features that budget-minded fitness enthusiasts can appreciate.

We found the Versa 2 to be a near-perfect fitness tracker during our testing. It boasts a user-friendly interface that makes it easy for even non-beginners to simply focus on the activity at hand instead of trying to figure out where to go to record their workouts. Even if you forget, it’s smart enough to log any activity 20 minutes or longer as exercise. 

Having Alexa is a nice perk, although we did find the feature to be inconsistent during testing. In addition, there’s no GPS so you need to have your phone with you to accurately record location and distance-based information whenever you’re hiking or going on a run. However, even we bring our phones with us during hikes and runs so this isn’t much of a downside really.

Read our in-depth Fitbit Versa 2 review

(Image credit: Amazon)

Amazfit Bip U Pro is the best cheap smartwatch if you’re limited to that under-$100 price range. The brand is known for its reliable and well-built affordable smartwatches, so you can count on one of their bestsellers to see you through your daily activity tracking needs.

This particular model is an improved version of the highly popular Bip U. And, for a budget smartwatch, it comes with several great features including built-in GPS for outdoor tracking and a voice assistant with Amazon Alexa integration. In fact, it’s one of few budget wearables to have GPS. Amazfit also didn’t just add it for the sake of having it. During our testing, we found that the GPS tracking on this watch works beautifully, giving accurate results.

That might be the most important addition to this update, but there are loads of others to mention as well. It’s got many fitness and health features such as heart rate, SpO2, sleep, and breathing tracking as well as more than 60 workouts and activities, plus a camera shutter.

Read our in-depth Amazfit Bip U Pro review

(Image credit: Garmin)

There are smartwatches, and there are smartwatches for running. And, the Garmin Forerunner 55 is the best cheap smartwatch for running you’ll find on the market. It’s an entry-level model, setting you back for much less than other advanced running smartwatches, but it’s a thoughtfully-designed one that’s a step-up from a basic fitness tracker with a design that’s new-user-friendly.

During our tests, we found the new workout suggestions to be the most useful features, as they not only encourage beginners, but also expand their workout options and allow them to discover new ones. The recommended rest time at the end of a workout is fantastic as well. 

Of course, specifically for runners, it features Garmin’s brilliant on-board GPS. In our tests it established a lock extremely quickly and recorded a three-mile route to within a few yards. That’s on top of the other tools included specifically to help you become a better runner.

Read our in-depth Garmin Forerunner 55 review

(Image credit: Apple)

Though older, the Apple Watch Series 3 is the only real cheap option for Apple fans who are on a tight budget – although the Watch SE might be a better choice if your budget is a tad more flexible. The Series 3, a non-4G version of Apple’s popular wearable family, still delivers good value for your money, touting top fitness capabilities for Apple fans who want to stay in the Apple environment.

WwatchOS 9 isn’t compatible with this smartwatch, unfortunately, but if being on top of every update isn’t vital – and to many regular users, it isn’t – that won’t be a big deal. More to its credit, it remains to be a powerful option. We found it to be focused on the goal of helping you live a better, healthier lifestyle with features like improved heart rate monitoring that we found to be more accurate than ever, daily inspiration to help motivate you, and a reliable built-in GPS.

It also packs other fitness capabilities, including the ability to track your high intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts, monitor a large number of workouts, and connect to enabled gym equipment. That’s a lot of features for a budget smartwatch.

Read our in-depth Apple Watch Series 3 review

(Image credit: Garmin)

5. Garmin Descent G1

The best cheap divers watch

Specifications

OS:

Garmin OS

Compatibility:

Android, iOS

Display:

0.9in 176 x 176

Processor:

N/A

Onboard storage:

N/A

Battery duration:

Up to 48 days

Charging method:

USB-A charging clip

IP rating:

10 ATM

Connectivity:

Bluetooth, ANT+

AVAILABLE FROM

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View at Garmin

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Reasons to buy

+

Great as a lifestyle smartwatch with dive-specific features

+

Much more affordable than other options

Reasons to avoid

–

Not as powerful as dive computers

–

Still pretty expensive if you’re just looking for a smartwatch

Although we haven’t reviewed the Garmin Descent G1 just yet, it’s a highly-recommended smartwatch for divers looking for a more affordable option. Dive watches aren’t cheap for good reason, but this one from Garmin offers budget-minded and beginner divers an option that’s almost half the price of its rivals while still boasting many dive-specific features.

That includes its display that’s crystal clear especially in dive mode, leak-proof buttons, and an up to 100m dive rating. There are several dive modes on hand as well, including apnea and apnea hunt mode as well as freedive modes. Meanwhile, the display will give you access to vital dive information such as a 3-axis compass, depth, deco-stop requirements, and residual nitrogen.

As this is more of a lifestyle-slash-dive smartwatch hybrid, you’ll find lifestyle-specific features as well like health monitoring, biometric tracking, and sleep monitoring. Best of all, it has a battery life of 25 hours (diving) and up to four months when used as just a smartwatch.

How to choose the best cheap smartwatch for you

Besides the price, it’s important to check its compatibility with your phone, as some smartwatches aren’t compatible with an iPhone, for example. There’s also the battery life and the features. 

If you’re a runner, it’s important to get the best cheap smartwatch for running as it’ll have running-specific features that others might not have. If you need to track your sleep, a longer battery life certainly important as you don’t want to be charging twice a day.

Don’t expect the latest Apple or Samsung flagships to be on the list, as those tend to sit at a much higher price point and out of people’s reach if they’re looking for a cheaper option. However, as we mentioned earlier, ‘cheap’ can be relative. A cheap regular smartwatch is going to be considerably more affordable than a budget smartwatch for divers. Keep that in mind when looking at your options.

How we test smartwatches

Although not every smartwatch on this list has been fully tested by us, our smartwatch experts have more than enough experience to know exactly what makes them tick and what makes an excellent choice. 

Those we have reviewed, however, we have put through their paces. To ensure that every cheap smartwatch gets fully tested in the real world, we use it as our own personal wearable for a week or so. We also perform a comprehensive sweep of its features – at least the most important ones, and varied usage over multiple days to give us a clear idea of how battery life performs. Once we have all the information we need, we compare it with its price tag to see if it’s a great value and worth recommending to readers.