With nine iterations under their belt, Apple watches have a well-established ecosystem. You can install almost any kind of app to keep track of hiking, surfing, emails, navigation, and other activities. All the major aspects of health are covered by a variety of sensors that monitor blood oxygen, heart rate, irregular heart rhythm, cardio fitness, and ECG. The Ultra 2's waterproofing is where it truly excels. It is certified ISO 22810 and has a water resistance rating of 100 meters. It is rated for high-speed watersports and can be used for recreational scuba diving down to 40 meters. Although $799 may seem like a lot for a smartwatch, that price starts to look much more appealing when you consider that the typical dive computer only costs $200 and has no additional features.
There's not much of a software difference between the Watch Ultra 2 and the Watch 9. Of course, at $399, it's a lot less expensive, and the only things you really give up are the action button, the dedicated 50-meter waterproof rating, and the larger battery, which only lasts for 18 rather than 36 hours. This might be the smartwatch for people in the Apple ecosystem who can't afford to spend the equivalent of a mid-range laptop on one.
Since Samsung switched the base operating system from Tizen to Google Wear, it has been much simpler to recommend the Samsung Galaxy watch series. Even though the Galaxy Watch 6 can happily pair with practically any Android phone and offers all the basic features like heart rate monitoring, fitness, sleep, and body fat tracking, there are some features that are exclusive to Samsung phone users, like blood pressure monitoring and ECG monitoring (without workarounds). A few days should be enough to get the most out of the battery, and both the Galaxy and Google Play stores have an excellent assortment of watch faces and apps.
The cost of the Galaxy Watch 6 is among its most alluring features. This watch has a lot to offer, even without a Samsung phone, at $239 for the base 40mm model.
From entry-level fitness trackers to watches for hiking, surfing, and running, Garmin has a variety of smartwatches with features tailored to a particular activity. All of these watches have one thing in common, though: they're made to be used outside. With features like heart rate monitoring, media controls, notifications, and sleep tracking, the Garmin Instinct Solar 2 is a smartwatch that's mostly meant for hikers who enjoy longer hikes.
Follow the breadcrumb checkpoints and upload the GPX file for your route. Although the battery life can be extended over several days with solar recharging, you shouldn't count on using just solar power every day. While using a GPS and other radios tends to drain the battery more quickly than it can be recharged, it does help prolong the battery life. Although Garmin watches can be purchased for much more money, the $299 Instinct Solar 2 strikes the ideal balance between features and cost.
The Smart Band 8 is practically an impulse stocking stuffer at $50. It tells the time, though whether or not that qualifies it as a smartwatch is debatable. This is more of a fitness tracker than a GPS device because it doesn't have built-in GPS in addition to tracking 150 different types of activity, heart rate, sleep, and steps. It's also one of the few gadgets that has the same features on both iOS and Android, with a 15-day battery life and 50-meter water resistance.
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