Deutsch
Español
Français
Italiano
Nederlands
Polski
Português
Русский
Türkçe
Svenska
Chinese
MagyarCheckMag | 5 best smartwatches for Christmas presents including the Apple Watch Ultra 2
Apple Watch Ultra 2 - The most premium Apple has to offer
Apple watches are now on their 9th iteration and have an established ecosystem. Almost every conceivable app can be installed to track hiking, surfing, emails, navigation and more. With a range of sensors monitoring heart rate, cardio fitness, irregular heart rhythm, ECG and blood oxygen, all the main health features are covered. Where the Ultra 2 really shines is with its waterproofing. With a water resistance rating of 100 metres and ISO 22810 certification, you can take it recreational scuba diving up to 40 metres depth, and it is rated for high-speed watersports. $799 might seem like a lot for a smartwatch, but considering the average dive computer costs $200 and offers no other functionality that price starts to look a lot more attractive.
Apple Watch 9 - For regular people in the Apple ecosystem
On the software side, there isn't a great deal of difference between the Watch Ultra 2 and the Watch 9. Obviously it`s significantly cheaper at $399, and all you really lose is half the waterproof rating at 50 metres, the dedicated action button and the battery capacity, getting 18 hours of use instead of 36. If you can't face spending the price of a mid-range laptop on a smartwatch, this may be the device for those in the Apple ecosystem without the excessive price tag.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 - The everyone watch
It has become a lot easier to recommend the Samsung Galaxy watch series ever since Samsung moved the base operating system from Tizen to Google Wear. Although some features are only available to Samsung phone users, such as ECG and blood pressure monitoring (without workarounds) the Galaxy Watch 6 will happily pair with almost every Android phone and offer all the basic features from heart rate monitoring, fitness, sleep and body fat tracking. Battery should last at least a couple of days and there are a great selection of apps and watch faces in the Google Play store as well as the Galaxy store. One of the most attractive things about the Galaxy Watch 6 is the price. At $239 for the 40mm base model, even without a Samsung phone this watch has a lot to offer.
Garmin Instinct Solar 2 - For outdoor types
Garmin offers a range of smartwatches from basic fitness trackers to hiking, surfing and running watches, and tend to tailor features specifically to a single activity. However, one thing they all share in common is that these watches are designed to be used outdoors. Covering the basic smartwatch features including heart rate, media controls, notifications and sleep tracking, the Garmin Instinct Solar 2 is primarily designed for those who like doing multi day hikes.
Upload the GPX file of your route and follow the breadcrumb checkpoints. The ability to recharge via solar helps to extend the battery life over multiple days, however don't expect to be running day after day from the power of the sun alone. Running GPS and other radios tends to deplete the battery quicker than it can recharge, but it certainly helps extend the run time. While you can spend a lot more on a Garmin watch, at $299 the Instinct Solar 2 meets the sweet spot between features and price.
Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 8 - The budget king
At $50, the Smart Band 8 is quite literally a stocking stuffer impulse buy. Whether it’s classed as a smartwatch is up for debate, but it does tell the time. As well as tracking your steps, heart rate, sleep and 150 different types of activity, the lack of in-built GPS makes this more of a fitness tracker than a navigation device. With a 15-day battery life and water resistance down to 50 metres, it's also one of the only devices that offers the same features on both iOS and Android. Did I mention it's only $50?
