The 5 Best Cheap Smartwatches in 2024

A smartwatch does more than just look nice. It helps you monitor your health by tracking things like your sleep and heart rate. For athletes, especially runners, it’s really useful. You can also receive important notifications on your wrist without needing to bring your phone along.

Smartwatches can be pricey, especially the best ones from Apple, Samsung, or Garmin, which are popular for sports. But if you’re looking for an affordable option, take a look at our list of the top 5 cheap smartwatches under $200.

Xiaomi Redmi Watch 4: The Cheapest

If your budget is up to $139 to spend, Xiaomi offers a good option with the Redmi Watch 4. It looks a lot like the Apple Watch but doesn’t have the same high-end finish — though it’s also much cheaper! The watch has a rectangular AMOLED screen that’s 1.97 inches in size and has a resolution of 302 pixels per inch. This isn’t the best resolution you can get for a smartwatch, but it does include an Always-on mode, which is nice considering the price.

After you turn on the watch, you can use Xiaomi HyperOS and the haptic crown to operate it. One downside is that the system is closed, meaning you can’t add other apps to it from outside sources.

The watch also excels in health tracking. It monitors your heart rate, blood oxygen levels, VO2Max, stress, and sleep. It’s great for tracking different sports activities too. The sensors on the Redmi Watch 4 give reliable results: heart rate measurements are accurate, and the GPS is precise for its price.

The watch battery lasts a long time, about 20 days with regular use. It connects to your phone using Bluetooth, so you can make and take calls, though the speaker could be louder.

In summary, we suggest the Xiaomi Redmi Watch 4 for people who want health and sports tracking features. However, if you’re looking for a smartwatch with lots of different apps, this might not be the best choice for you.

Xiaomi Watch S3: The Customizable Watch

Introducing Xiaomi’s latest entry-level smartwatch, the Xiaomi Watch S3. It’s cheap and you can personalize it too. The watch has a 47 mm round display with a clear AMOLED screen that stays on all the time. It comes with heart rate monitoring, sleep tracking, an accelerometer, and ambient light sensors. Plus, It has a water resistance of 5 ATM.

This watch has a unique feature: you can easily change its dial bezel. Also, you can use any bracelet you prefer because the attachment isn’t proprietary.

The watch runs Xiaomi’s HyperOS software, so you can’t add other apps. This is its main limitation. It uses basic sensors for sports and health features. In our tests, the heart rate and GPS measurements were consistently accurate.

The watch has a 486 mAh battery that lasts up to 15 days, depending on how much you use it. It charges quickly, going from completely empty to full in about one hour.

With its big, bright screen and long battery life, this is a good choice if you prefer not to load lots of apps. It could become even more appealing if the price drops below $122.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 4: The Cheapest Samsung Watch

Samsung is well-known for making smartwatches. The Galaxy Watch 4, released in 2021, was a big change because it started using Wear OS, which is based on Android but has Samsung’s One UI added to it. This move has been a major step forward for Samsung, showing it made a smart decision.

The watch has a subtle design that fits well on small wrists and appeals to those who like understated watches. It comes in two sizes: 40 mm and 44 mm. Instead of a rotating bezel, it has a fully touch-sensitive screen. Made by Samsung, it features a stainless steel case and a screen protected by Corning Gorilla Glass DX.

The OLED screen is easy to read and bright enough for any environment. With Wear OS, navigating is smooth, similar to the newer Watch 5 models.

The Watch 4 has all the health and fitness features you want: step counter, heart rate monitor, SpO2 sensor, ECG, GPS, and bio-impedance measurements. But, just like the Watch 5, you need a Samsung phone to use the ECG and blood pressure features.

But the battery doesn’t last long on this model, only about a day… So, you’ll have to charge it every night.

Garmin Forerunner 55: The Watch For Running

Garmin makes sports watches. Some of their watches are really expensive. But they also offer a cheaper option called the Forerunner 55. It’s made for new runners who are just starting out.

It comes in a 42 mm case with a small 1.04-inch screen that isn’t its best feature. It’s available in four colors and has a sporty look. The screen doesn’t respond to touch; you navigate using the buttons on the side.

The watch includes GPS, a step counter, heart rate monitor, and more, but it doesn’t have an SpO2 sensor. It’s great for running and has 20 different modes for various sports (including swimming, as it is 5 ATM waterproof). When you connect it to the Garmin Connect app, you can track your sports activities effectively.

This cheap Garmin smartwatch has a great battery life of two weeks and can recharge quickly.

Huawei Watch GT 3: A Fairly Cheap Smartwatch

The Huawei Watch GT 3 comes in two sizes: a 46 mm model with a stylish design and an integrated bezel, and a 42 mm model with a bezel-less display and thinner borders. It has a bright Amoled screen that’s easy to read, even in sunlight, and adjusts its brightness automatically using a sensor.

The watch runs on HarmonyOS, which lets you navigate easily using a touchscreen and a rotating crown. However, it has few third-party apps available. Health features include monitoring your heart rate, measuring oxygen saturation, and accurately tracking workouts using GPS. The watch can also estimate your skin temperature, but this can be affected by your surroundings. It has a microphone and a small speaker, allowing you to make voice calls directly from the watch.

The smartwatch lasts between 7 to 14 days on a single charge, depending on whether you choose the 42 mm or 46 mm model. But it’s limited in apps you can add from other developers, which has slowed down its popularity, despite Huawei’s work to make this possible. Also, it doesn’t have NFC for making contactless payments.

In summary, the Huawei Watch GT 3 is stylish, lasts a long time on a single charge, and offers advanced health features. However, it needs to attract more app developers to appeal to a wider audience.

How To Choose A Smartwatch?

If you have an Android phone, look for a compatible smartwatch. iPhone users should consider the Apple Watch. Keep in mind, cheap options like the Apple Watch SE start at $179, but they aren’t included in this selection of budget watches.

If you have an Android smartphone, choosing a smartwatch can be tricky. Think about how you’ll use it: mainly for getting phone notifications or for sports activities. Also, consider its style, since it’s a fashion accessory. Check its size, especially if you have a small wrist. If your smartphone often runs out of battery and you forget to charge it, remember you’ll need to charge your watch too. Look for one with a long battery life so you don’t have to worry about charging it often.

Do You Have To Choose A Cheap Smartwatch or A Fitness Tracker?

The smart bracelets are made for your health, well-being, and sports. They track your heart rate, steps, calories burned, and more.

Smartwatches do more than fitness trackers: they’re like a mini phone on your wrist. They have accurate sensors and show notifications from your phone, let you make calls, and reply to messages. Plus, you can add apps for music and even pay with them at stores.

In simple terms, a smartwatch can do more things and cover more features than a fitness tracker.

What Are The Differences Between A Cheap Smartwatch And A More Expensive One?

As always in tech, just like with smartphones, a cheaper smartwatch will be less powerful, perform worse, and have a less polished feel compared to a pricier one. The GPS and heart rate sensors won’t be as precise. The overall design, materials, and screen quality won’t be as high-end either. Plus, you might miss out on a few features.

Can A Smartwatch Work Without A Phone?

The smartwatches connect to your smartphone using Bluetooth, typically up to ten meters away. While some models can use an eSIM and have 4G to work without a smartphone nearby, the watches we’re discussing here don’t offer that. For eSIM features, you’d have to choose pricier models.