Which brand has the best all-around smartwatch?
More and more people want to get healthy and find new ways to monitor their progress. A smartwatch is a great way for you to track your vitals and keep up with your daily activity. Quality smartwatches allow you to track your blood-oxygen levels, heart rate, daily steps and more. Simply strap the small device onto your wrist and get moving.
Most smartwatches operate with Bluetooth technology, so you can pair it to your phone easily. And while there are many different brands available, each smartwatch is unique in its features, style and price point. Two reputable smartwatch brands are Movado and Garmin. Both brands offer a sleek, stylish watch that effectively monitors your activity and vitals. But which brand has the best smartwatch?
Movado smartwatches
Movado’s smartwatches are professional and bold. They look presentable and stylish, so it’s easy for you to dress them up or down. This should come as no surprise since Movado is known as a luxury watch brand. You can find Movado watches for women and for men, but truthfully, their styles work for anyone.
Movado designed and launched its smartwatches in 2019. The technology is powered by Google and is compatible with Android and Apple. These smartwatches have plenty of functions, from tracking your progress as an athlete to storing music and even utilizing Google Pay. It’s a true combination of fashion and function while utilizing smartwatch technology.
Movado pros
Movado watches look elegant and sophisticated. They have a long-lasting battery and easily connect to apps through Android and Apple IOS. These smartwatches allow you to essentially have your phone wrapped around your wrist. It also tracks your heart rate, and of course, shows you the time.
Movado cons
Unfortunately, Movado discontinued their smartwatch, making it harder to find them. Although you can purchase these smartwatches online, the price point is typically higher than other smartwatches. And some styles offer subpar performance. For example, even though Movado watches are sweat and water-resistant, they aren’t waterproof like other smartwatches. This can be a problem for people who like to swim or stay outdoors in rainy conditions.
The best Movado smartwatches
This is one of the few Movado smartwatches available.
Movado Connect 2.0 Powered with Wear OS by Google: available at Amazon
Using Google Fit, this watch can track your heart rate, fitness progress and even how much distance you travel. Its polished design has a customizable clock face, which allows it to blend in with any attire. Plus, you can program it to send alerts and reminders directly from your phone.
Garmin smartwatches
Garmin is a brand that manufactures a variety of smartwatches designed to support athletes of all kinds and make your life simpler. It stores music and other information and connects seamlessly to your phone via Bluetooth.
They often market their watches to runners, swimmers or anyone who wants to track their fitness endeavors routinely. Garmin smartwatches monitor heart rate, distance (GPS included), blood-oxygen levels, daily steps and even your sleep patterns. Many of their watches even have incident detection, which notifies others if you fall during a run or workout. This unique feature adds an element of safety and security.
Garmin pros
Garmin smartwatches are user-friendly. Many of their models have a damage-resistant clock face, which is ideal if you tend to wear your smartwatch everywhere.
In addition, Garmin is one of the only smartwatch brands that can completely turn off Bluetooth. Therefore, if you’d like to use a smartwatch but don’t want notifications all the time, you can simply switch off the Bluetooth connection. The watch will still collect data like daily steps and heart rate, storing it until the next time you connect to your phone.
Garmin cons
Garmin smartwatches are a bit on the pricey side, especially compared to their competitors.
Also, Garmin smartwatches have a sporty appearance. There’s no real shocker here, as athletes tend to use these watches. However, it may be harder to dress them up, depending on the model. If you plan on wearing your smartwatch to business meetings or upscale social events, they might be too clunky for that type of occasion.
The best Garmin smartwatches
Garmin Forerunner 45S, GPS Running Watch: available at Amazon
Garmin designed the Forerunner 45S specifically for runners. It comes with Garmin Coach adaptive training plans, so you can get personalized coaching on your wrist. This watch also provides safety features, such as incident alert, connectivity to your cell phone and the ability to connect to Garmin’s online community.
Garmin Forerunner 745, GPS Running Watch: available at Amazon
While the 745 smartwatch costs significantly more than other Garmin products, it offers a wider range of features. This smartwatch comes preloaded with various activity profiles for a diverse range of workout suggestions. It comes with a built-in GPS and syncs with your music. The Forerunner 745 has various battery life options, too, lasting one week in smartwatch mode, six hours in GPS mode or up to 30 hours in UltraTrac mode.
Garmin Vivoactive 4, GPS Smartwatch: available at Amazon
Not only does this smartwatch track your heart rate and other health stats, but it also suggests workouts based on a range of recognized activities. It monitors your energy levels using Pulse OX and also tracks menstrual cycles, stress, sleep, hydration and more.
Should I buy a Movado or a Garmin smartwatch?
Given that Movado is discontinued, Garmin is the best smartwatch option. Garmin provides a more thorough and immersive smartwatch experience and comes in various styles with unique and useful features.
Courtney Love is a writer for BestReviews. BestReviews is a product review company with a singular mission: to help simplify your purchasing decisions and save you time and money.
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