TechJunkie Expert Recommendations
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Technology continues to evolve as the years pass, and gone are the days wherein smartphones are the only devices we bring with us daily. Smartwatches have become popular over the years, and they do way more than tell you what time or date it is. These devices can act as a fitness tracker, giving you an idea of things like how many steps you’ve taken for the day. Many modern smartwatches also come with health monitoring capabilities to track your heart rate, stress, and more. It can even track your sleep, so you can know if you’re getting enough rest at night. When you buy a standard watch, you often have to stick to one design, but digital smartwatches allow you to switch up their design whenever you’d like. Some even give you the option to choose different strap designs. There are smartwatches that offer additional features when you connect them to your smartphones, like answering text messages, taking a call, and controlling your music. They can even show you a glimpse of your most recent notifications, so you don’t need to remove your phones from your pocket or bag. Let’s look at some of the best smartwatches money could buy you in 2022.
There’s no denying that Apple has been making the most innovative gadgets over the years, and their Apple Watch is undoubtedly a revolutionary product. Their latest model as of June 2022 is the Apple Watch Series 7, which initially hit stores in 2021. The watch is available in two sizes: 41mm and 45mm. You can also pick if you want the GPS-only variant or the GPS + Cellular one. Its borders were significantly reduced compared to its predecessors, so you get more screen space than ever. The watch has a responsive touch display that feels like you’re using a tiny iPhone. This smartwatch gives you a wide range of watch faces that fit your mood or personality. The device is the perfect accessory for fitness enthusiasts because you can track your daily activity, calories burned, BPM, etc. Users can subscribe to Apple Fitness+ if they want to access different workouts and guided meditations weekly. You don’t have to worry about getting too sweaty when the watch is on because it’s water-resistant up to 50 meters. The Apple Watch Series 7 works hand in hand with the Heart Rape app, so it will notify you when there are irregularities in your heart rate or heart rhythms. It can also track your sleep and give tips for your bedtime routine. If you accidentally fall with the smartwatch on, it will provide you with quick access to emergency services. The watch also has a Reflect and Breath feature that helps you calm down, focus, and improve your mindfulness. You can also use the watch for texting and calling if you get the GPS + Cellular model. The watch also lets you listen to music and make payments using Apple Pay. You don’t always have to touch the watch to control it because it supports Siri. Users can expect to have access to a wide range of apps since it has an App Store. The Apple Watch Series 7 promises up to 18 hours of battery per charge, so you can rest assured that you can go an entire day without worrying if you brought your charger or not.
Samsung has always been a rival of Apple, so it’s not surprising that they have their own offer to go up against the Apple Watch. Their Galaxy Watch 4 is an excellent smartwatch packed with high-tech features. The watch comes in two sizes: 40mm and 44mm. You also have flexibility with its connectivity because you can opt for a Bluetooth/Wifi model or Bluetooth/Wifi + 4G LTE model. The watch has total wellness management that will help you keep track and maintain your healthy lifestyle. It features ECG monitoring, so you have an idea of what’s going on with your heart, and you’ll know details about your weight, body fat, etc. Its Auto Workout Tracking allows you to maximize your workout, and you can get access to live coaching sessions and group challenges. The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 can track your sleep, tell you if you snore, and inform you of your blood oxygen levels. It even has a sleep coaching feature, so you can get better sleep in the long run. The watch isn’t only impressive on the inside but also aesthetically pleasing. It has a sleek aluminum frame, and customers can choose from a wide range of bands and watch faces. If you have a smartphone running on Android 6.0 or later and has at least 1.5GB of RAM, you can pair it with the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 to answer texts or calls. The watch allows you to play music from apps like Spotify, so you won’t have a dull workout session ever again. It can survive getting wet from the rain, showing, or accidental splashes because it’s water-resistant until 50 meters. Users will be impressed with the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4’s battery performance because you can expect up to 40 hours of usage per charge.
You can go for the Apple Watch SE if you want an Apple Watch for a more affordable price. The base model of this smartwatch would cost you $279, but you can expect to pay more if you get the bigger case size and the model with GPS + Cellular. This watch still comes with many innovative features like its more expensive rivals. You can use it as a fitness partner, and its activity rings show you your moving, exercising, and standing metrics. It works hand-in-hand with the Workout app to track your different workout sessions. The watch is water-resistant up to 50 meters, so you can confidently wear it while taking a dip in the pool. The Apple Watch SE will give you a quick look at your heart health using the Heart Rate app. Users can opt to get notified when their watch senses an irregular heart rhythm or a heart rate that may be too low or high. For those who want to be in a better state mentally, you can download the Mindfulness app for different calming exercises to reduce stress. The watch is smart enough to tell when you’ve accidentally fallen, and it will immediately connect you to emergency services. It also comes with a sleep tracker, so you can track your nighttime routine and see what you can do to have better sleep. The model with cellular capabilities allows you to take texts and calls on the go and receive notifications from your phone. The Apple Watch SE doesn’t sacrifice battery life because you get up to 18 hours of usage on a single charge.
The Fitbit Versa 3 is a fantastic option for those with a tight budget. This smartwatch is priced at $159.49 and comes in Black/Black, Pink/Gold, Midnight Blue/Gold, and Thistle. The watch has built-in GPS, so you can keep track of your pace and distance when you’re hiking, biking, or running. It comes with an Activity Zone Minutes feature that analyzes your heart rate and lets you know if you need to increase the intensity of your workouts. The watch has an enhanced heart rate technology that can track your heart rate 24/7. You can get an idea of how good your sleep is thanks to its sleep tracking and sleep score capabilities. The watch supports Alexa and Google Assistant, so you can conveniently use your voice to control the watch and do basic tasks. The Fitbit Versa 3 is superior when it comes to its battery life because you get at least six days of usage per charge. It even supports fast charging, so a quick 12-minute charge will give you a day’s worth of juice. You can use the watch for easy controls if you listen to music from Spotify on your phone while working out. To get the most out of your watch, you can subscribe to Fitbit Premium. You will get a Daily Readiness Score that will tell you if you should train hard or spend the day recovering. A premium membership will also give you access to different workouts, information about proper dieting, etc. The watch can survive days at the beach or swimming pool because it’s water-resistant up to 50 meters.
The Garmin Venu 2 Plus is an ideal smartwatch for those who need reliable fitness tracking features. The watch comes with over 25 preloaded sports apps, and you get to benefit from different types of health and wellness features. Everything will look clear and crisp on the watch because of its AMOLED display, and you can even view animated on-screen workouts on your watch. Users are free to create their own workouts, or they can use Garmin Coach as their personal running coach. The watch can give you essential stats like stress and respiration levels, heart rate variability, heart rate, etc. It can keep track of your body’s energy levels so you have a better idea of when you should exercise or rest. You can also quickly tell your blood oxygen saturation throughout the day thanks to its Pulse Ox3 sensor. The watch’s stress tracking capabilities give you “relax reminders” when it senses that you’re stressed, and it will even offer some simple breathing exercises. Its hydration tracking is also helpful, so you know when you need to load up on more water. Women will love this watch because it has a women’s health tracking feature that gives you details on your menstrual cycle or pregnancy. The Garmin Venu 2 Plus tracks your sleep cycle daily, and it will provide you with a sleep score so you know if you’re getting quality sleep or not. The watch doesn’t stop tracking your heart rate throughout the day and will alert you if it gets disturbingly low or high. Users can discover their fitness age with this watch because it can analyze your age with your heart rate, BMI, weekly activity, etc. Like other high-end smartwatches, you can use the Garmin Venu 2 to make calls, text, and play music. It even supports voice assistants like Google Assistant, Bixby, and Siri. Users can expect up to 9 days of battery life per charge.
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