What's a good smart watch for everyday use and fitness?

[Muaaz J]

Howzit oaks. Im looking in purchasing a smartwatch for daily and fitness use. I am really confused as there are so many out there. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. 

[ChrisF]

Garmin Forerunner 165 is excellent value for money.  Marginally cheaper models in the Garmin range has notably less metrics.

 

That said, I am more focused on the sports metrics than the smarr watch metrics... 

 

Lots of newer models from all manufacturers that are "smarter" ..   but with less sports metrics.  It is a trade off ...  unless you double your budget to get both the sports and smart functions.

 

Happy hunting

[Zebra]

…and seriously CONSIDER looking at 2nd hand units; they provide very good value, batteries MOSTLY are a non-issue, and you can then check out -affordably - what ‘works’ for you, and what other functions you really NEED, etc.

Many, many people get ‘upgade-itis’, and need the latest model, making for an attractive 2nd-hand market - I am one of them!

[RobertWhitehead]

I'm quite happy with my Forerunner 255 music. It does have a good battery life and it does have a few smart watch gadgets 

 

[michaelbiker]

These look really good if you don’t want to deal with the crumby Garmin software: https://www.amazon.com/Amazfit-Display-Battery-Offline-Storage-Resistant/dp/B0G4F6ZCSV

Also a pretty good price for what you get. 

[cadenceblur]

Garmin venu also a viable option

[ChrisF]

3 minutes ago, cadenceblur said:

Garmin venu also a viable option

 

Tempting option, but lacks elevation.

 

More smart, less sport ...

[Michael Dewing]

Garmin instinct 3 is epic if you looking for a rugged g shock looking smart watch.. 

love mine.. 

[MORNE]

22 hours ago, RobertWhitehead said:

I'm quite happy with my Forerunner 255 music. It does have a good battery life and it does have a few smart watch gadgets 

 

This is the one.

The 255 comes with better GPS and HR sensors than the lower-mid-end new ones, so this means they are more accurate too. It’s considered the best bang for buck by many and it punches way above its weight for the price. You also don’t need a battery drain OLED screen on a simple fitness device. Its a generation older but that means you can find them relatively cheap on takelot etc.

Edited April 7 by MORNE

[Michael S]

How does one go about checking a 2nd hand Garmin is okay and also not fake?

Can you run the serial nr through Garmin? 

Is there a way to see if the battery is still fine?

So many brand new "unopened" devices floating on the hub, gives me a counterfeit vibe.

[guidodg]

Amazfit T-rex 3 Pro....but not at the ridiculous local pricing...it's half the price on Amazon overseas

[phenning]

Have a look at the instinct 2 or 3,  they have full multi sport support and the  mtb features like flow and grit, golf, running , swimming ect.

and the  battery life is great. i have al the sensors running ant charge the unit ever 12day or so, 28 days when you use in power saving mode.   

[nonky]

If you are on Vitality, an apple watch is a steal.  

If you want honest opinions and objective testing, go check out DCRainmaker (www.dcrainmaker.com) or The Quantified Scientist on youtube. 

[Headshot]

I have the Instinct 1 - a few years old now but working great - light, rugged and good battery life. The 2 and 3 are probably even better, 

[droo]

Another vote for the Instinct - I have the 2x. Nothing fancy in the screen department but does everything I need it to and the battery lasts a month.

If you want touch screen and leave your phone at home options you'll need to spend a lot more, but for my use case the Instinct ticks all the boxes.

[BigDL]

Apple Watch works well