Tech
The best alternatives to the Samsung Galaxy watch 4
Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 4 is the smartwatch of the hour, but alternatives like the Fossil Gen 5, Fitbit Sense, or Mobvoi Ticwatch E3 might off make more sense for your wrist.
Much to the surprise of absolutely no one, Samsung has finally announced the Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic. It’s a solid smartwatch that starts at $250 and goes big on fitness with an all-new UI and OS.
Beaten to the punch
With Samsung waiting so long to announce the Galaxy Watch 4, it gave companies the ammunition to undercut with their own products. Fossil, a reputable maker of premium Android smartwatches, decided to steal Samsung’s thunder on the eve of the Galaxy Watch 4 reveal.
Fossil Gen 6
Fossil is being cryptic on its new Gen 6 smartwatches, with a teaser website announcing a “way faster” line of wearables. We know the Fossil watches will use a Qualcomm Snapdragon chip. Fossil states its Gen 6 watches will use Google Wear OS 3, the same OS co-developed by Google and Samsung that’s on the Galaxy Watch 4. Whatever it has in store, it’s shaping up to be a contender to Samsung’s latest watch. (Fossil Gen 5 pictured.)
Mobvoi Ticwatch E3
The Ticwatch E3 is a relatively new contender using running on Google’s Wear OS platform — it will receive the Wear OS 3 update next year. It’s powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 4100 chip and has 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage. It’s got the typical fitness tracking features here, as well NFC payment functionality and Google app compatibility.
Is it made by a brand-name phone manufacturer? No, but the watch balances functionality and price, which is why it’s on this list. I like the minimal design and physical buttons. When it gets the new Wear OS update later on, the improved functionality will surely drive up the watch’s value.
Fitbit Sense
Fitbit watches have always been a bit of an outlier, leaning heavily into fitness while slowly adding smart features with each new iteration. The Fitbit Sense takes that idea further with strong health tracking features for overall wellness such as the EDA scan app for measuring stress levels and a new temperature tracking sensor. It also has an electrocardiogram for detecting irregularities in a heartbeat.
The $300 watch isn’t just a health and fitness tracker. Other features include both Google Assistant and Alexa, a built-in GPS, and smartphone notifications. If you’re looking for a true smartwatch this ain’t it. But if you want one of the best health and fitness trackers with some smart features, the Fitbit Sense is worth considering.
OnePlus Watch
OnePlus has the incredible knack of taking an existing product, loading it up with cutting-edge tech, and somehow selling it for less than anyone else. The OnePlus Watch follows that philosophy, costing only $159, but the barebones experience can leave a lot to be desired if you’re looking for a fully-featured wearable.
“The OnePlus Watch is a simple pitch: More than a basic fitness tracker and less than an Apple Watch, Samsung, or Wear OS smartwatch.”
Software updates post-launch have fixed a ton of bugs and added features like an always-on clock. The OnePlus Watch still is a cut below the Galaxy Watch 4, but if you want a simple fitness watch with a sleek look that won’t break the bank, it works. Its best feature is still its one-week battery life.
Apple Watch Series 6
Apple’s wearable remains the smartwatch to beat, and the latest Series 6 model that came out last year is stuffed with fitness tracking features and sensors that put other smartwatches to shame. At $400, the Series 6 is up among the high-end of watches, but it’s got the features to back it up.
In our review, we liked new features like the always-on display, sleep tracking, and blood oxygen monitor, but we found them to be superfluous, especially if you already have an Apple watch from a few years ago. And if you don’t have an iPhone, forget everything you just read — the watch doesn’t play nice with Android.