Smart Watch Hunt: Large Wrists, Best Options?

When it comes to choosing the best smartwatch for men with large wrists, there are several factors to consider. Firstly, it is important to select a watch that is compatible with your smartphone's operating system, as not all smartwatches work with both iOS and Android devices. Another key consideration is the size of the watch face, as a larger display can provide more data and stats at a glance. For those with large wrists, a watch with a diameter of 44mm or above is likely to be the most comfortable and proportionate option. In addition, the band material should be taken into account to ensure durability and comfort. Silicon bands are often preferred for their grip and water resistance, while stainless steel or leather options offer a more stylish look.

When it comes to specific models, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 stands out as a top choice for its large, bright display, powerful processor, long battery life, and advanced training features. However, it is important to note that the Ultra 2 is designed for outdoor adventurers and may be too large for those with smaller wrists. An alternative option from Apple is the Series 10, which offers a thinner design, larger displays, and faster charging compared to its predecessor. For Android users, the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra is a great choice, featuring a unique square design, advanced safety features, and a long-lasting battery. The Google Pixel Watch 3 is another excellent option with two size options, improved displays, and enhanced safety features, making it a strong competitor to the Apple Watch. Lastly, the Garmin Venu 3/3S is worth considering for its brilliant AMOLED display, more than a week-long battery life, and advanced health and fitness tracking capabilities.

Best smartwatches for small wrists

When it comes to smartwatches for smaller wrists, there are several options available that offer a range of features, including health and fitness tracking. Here are some of the best smartwatches for small wrists:

Apple Watch SE (40mm)

The Apple Watch SE is a sleek and compact smartwatch that offers a variety of features, including health and fitness tracking. It is available in a 40mm size, making it a suitable option for those with smaller wrists. It provides essential features such as connectivity, activity tracking, and safety functions, all at a lower price point compared to other Apple Watch models.

Samsung Galaxy Watch Active2 (40mm)

The Samsung Galaxy Watch Active2 is designed with a 40mm case, making it a good choice for smaller wrists. It offers health tracking, fitness monitoring, and a variety of apps to enhance your smartwatch experience. With this device, you can stay connected and track your workouts and daily activities.

Garmin Lily (34mm)

The Garmin Lily is specifically designed for smaller wrists, featuring a 34mm case. It offers health and fitness tracking, including stress tracking and sleep monitoring. The stylish patterned lens lights up to reveal a bright touchscreen display, providing you with notifications and health insights. The battery life of up to 5 days makes it a convenient choice for everyday use.

Fitbit Versa 3 (40mm)

The Fitbit Versa 3 is a fitness-focused smartwatch with a 40mm case. It provides comprehensive health and fitness features, including heart rate monitoring and built-in GPS. The always-on display and long battery life make it a reliable companion for tracking your workouts and daily activities.

Fossil Sport (41mm)

The Fossil Sport is a lightweight and compact smartwatch, with a 41mm case. It runs on Wear OS and offers fitness tracking capabilities, making it a good choice for those who want to stay active and connected.

When choosing a smartwatch for a smaller wrist, it is advisable to try it on to ensure a comfortable fit. Additionally, consider your personal preferences and the specific features that are most important to you.

Best affordable Android watches

When it comes to affordable Android watches, you have a lot of options. Here are some of the best ones currently on the market:

Samsung Galaxy Watch FE

The Samsung Galaxy Watch FE is a great choice if you're looking for a balance of features and price. It offers a wide array of apps, connectivity features, and detailed health and sleep tracking at an attractive price. It tracks a wide range of workouts and accurately measures heart rate, pace, and VO2 Max. It also has a small screen with big bezels and no AI health insights. You can get it for around $200.

Google Pixel Watch 2

The Google Pixel Watch 2 is a stylish and comfortable watch with improved battery life and more Fitbit health and fitness features. It has responsive performance and a 100% recycled metal casing. However, some health metrics require a premium membership, and it only comes in one size. It typically costs around $250.

OnePlus Watch 2

The OnePlus Watch 2 is an excellent choice if you're looking for a combination of elegance and long battery life. It has a powerful operating system, a dual-chip architecture, and a dual OS system that provides up to 100 hours of battery life. It also offers accurate fitness tracking metrics and looks great on the wrist, with leather strap options and a range of cool color choices. You can get it for around $250.

Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 5

If you're looking for a watch with long battery life and useful fitness features, the Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 5 is a great option. It has a dual-display technology with an interactive and customizable ultra-low-power display, a massive 628mAh battery, and advanced fitness tracking capabilities. It typically costs around $250.

CMF Watch Pro by Nothing

The CMF Watch Pro by Nothing is a very affordable and attractive smartwatch that offers all the basic functionalities. It has a built-in GPS, up to 13 days of battery life, and simple yet functional software. However, with the low price, you'll miss out on some features like a high-quality screen and third-party apps. It usually costs around $300.

Best fitness-focused smartwatches

Smartwatches are a great way to track your fitness goals and health. Here are some of the best fitness-focused smartwatches available in the market:

Garmin Venu Sq 2

The Garmin Venu Sq 2 is a great choice for those looking for a reasonably affordable smartwatch with a focus on fitness. It features a large AMOLED colour touchscreen with a square design that offers better text legibility than round models. The Venu Sq 2 has a robust suite of workout and health-tracking tools, along with some useful lifestyle features such as calendar and weather apps, vibrating alarms, smartphone notifications, and Garmin Pay mobile payment support. In terms of battery life, the Venu Sq 2 can run for up to nine days between charges with light use. It is compatible with smartphones running iOS 15 or Android 7.0 and above.

Fitbit Versa 4

The Fitbit Versa 4 is an excellent fitness-focused smartwatch known for its attractive and comfortable design. It offers a slimmer case, a physical button, and a more responsive touchscreen than its predecessor. The Versa 4 has 40 exercise modes, up from 20 in the previous generation, and provides robust fitness and health capabilities. It also includes a small but useful selection of lifestyle features, such as Amazon Alexa, Google Maps, and Google Pay. The Versa 4 does not support third-party app downloads, except for watch faces. It is compatible with smartphones running Android 9 or iOS 15 and above.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 7

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 is a great choice for those looking for the best Wear OS smartwatch for fitness and sleep tracking. It offers advanced wellness features, such as advanced glycation end products index tracking, FDA-approved sleep apnea detection, and holistic health insights courtesy of Galaxy AI. It also has an upgraded dual-frequency GPS and support for gestures. The Galaxy Watch 7 features a touch bezel for quick scrolling and an aluminium case. It is durable, with an IP68 resistance rating, MIL-STD-810H certification, and 5ATM of water resistance. It is compatible with Android smartphones only.

Apple Watch Ultra 2

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is ideal for endurance athletes, ocean enthusiasts, and anyone who spends a lot of time outdoors. It offers a rugged build and longer battery life than other Apple Watch models, as well as exclusive outdoor adventuring features for added safety. The Ultra 2 includes a bright orange customizable Action button, a tactile Digital Crown that can be operated with gloved hands, and a completely flat front crystal for increased durability. It features a dual-speaker system, a three-microphone array, and an 86dB emergency siren. The Ultra 2 is water-resistant up to 100 meters and can function as a dive computer with the Oceanic+ app. It works with iOS devices only.

Garmin Fenix 8 AMOLED

The Garmin Fenix 8 AMOLED is a great choice for outdoor sports enthusiasts. It combines features from the previous Epix and Fenix lines, offering a bright AMOLED screen and longer battery life. It is compatible with both Android and iOS smartphones. The Fenix 8 includes dynamic routing, which allows you to enter your desired distance and get turn-by-turn directions on your watch. It also has a built-in flashlight, leakproof buttons, and voice command support when off-grid. The Fenix 8 has a battery life of up to two weeks, depending on usage.

Oura Ring 4

The Oura Ring 4 is a discreet and lightweight fitness tracker that doesn't require a subscription. It tracks typical metrics such as steps, calories burned, heart rate variability, body temperature, blood oxygen, sleep, and activity. The Oura Ring also offers additional features such as chronotypes to visualize your circadian rhythms, a social feature called Circles, improved stress tracking, and an AI chatbot (in beta). It has a battery life of up to seven days. The Oura Ring is compatible with iOS and Android devices.

Best Android watches for advanced health tracking

If you're looking for an Android watch with advanced health tracking, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 is a great choice. It offers accurate heart rate measurements, in-depth sleep monitoring, and responsive touch and gesture controls. It has a dual-frequency GPS and support for gestures that let you tap your fingers or turn your wrist to launch an app, take a picture, or silence an alarm. The Galaxy Watch 7 has a touch bezel for quick scrolling and an aluminium case. It's also durable, with an IP68 resistance rating, MIL-STD-810H certification, and 5ATM of water resistance.

The Galaxy Watch 7 is exclusive to Android phones, and some features only work with Samsung handsets, including irregular heart rhythm notifications, phone separation alerts, gesture controls, and snoring detection.

Another option is the Google Pixel Watch 3, which has useful holistic health metrics, detailed running guidance, accurate heart rate monitoring, and excellent sleep tracking. The Pixel Watch 3 supports key lifestyle features such as calling, texting, mobile payments, and smart home controls, and you can customise the watch with a wide range of third-party apps.

The OnePlus Watch 2 is another Android watch with advanced health tracking. It has a long battery life, using two different operating systems to save power, and it offers accurate fitness tracking metrics. It has a leather strap, a design based on analogue chronographs, and colour options such as Nordic Blue.

Best affordable Apple watches

If you're looking for an affordable Apple Watch, the Apple Watch SE is a great option. The second-generation model is Apple's entry-level smartwatch, offering most of the core features of the more expensive models at a lower price. While it doesn't have an always-on display or ECG, it does include a range of health and fitness features, impressive battery life, and seamless iOS integration. It's also powerful, lightweight, and comfortable to wear.

The Apple Watch SE has a list price of $249 for the 40mm model and $279 for the 44mm model. However, it's often on sale for less. For example, at the time of writing, Walmart is offering the 40mm model for $199 and the 44mm model for $229.

Another affordable option is the last-gen Apple Watch Series 9, which can be found on sale for as low as $279. It includes features like offline Siri use and Apple's double-tap gesture but lacks some of the updates found in the newer models.

If you're looking for the best Apple Watch overall, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is worth considering. It has a rugged design, brilliant battery life, and a vibrant display. However, it's more expensive, with a list price of $799.

Frequently asked questions