The 10 Best Budget Smartwatches in 2027

Buy this if the charger is what you resent about smartwatches. Expect well over a week even with the always-on screen running: about 10 days in Gadgets & Wearables' use and 16 at The Run Testers, against a 25-day claim. Say you pack for a long weekend and forget the cable. That's not a problem here, and the 1.5-inch screen makes maps easy to follow mid-run. We'd trust it for distance, with 7.48 km against a Garmin Forerunner 955's 7.58 km on one run. We'd trust it less for live pace, which lagged about 10 seconds behind Garmin watches, and for heart rate intervals, where readings can spike. It isn't polished either. The Zepp app is cluttered, the flush buttons need a firm press, and a sweaty touchscreen with no auto lock can end a run by accident. Skip it if you have a small wrist, because the case is 48.5mm.

We'd start here if you just want a watch that shows your notifications, tracks your walks and runs, and stays out of your way. Say you're out on a sunny morning run: the 1.97-inch screen stays easy to read, and you won't be hunting for the charger by the weekend. Expect about six to eight days rather than Amazfit's 14, which is still far ahead of any Apple or Samsung watch here. Treat the data as good enough, not exact. Heart rate sat within about five beats of an Apple Watch in Android Authority's workout, and GPS can put you on the wrong side of the road while still getting total distance right. Sleep is the weak spot, since a short wake-up can turn the rest of your night into a nap. You can't reply to messages, and there's little app choice. Skip it if either would bother you daily.

This is our pick if running is the reason you're buying a watch. GPS is the part you can count on, just 0.03 miles off on a 2.8-mile course in OutdoorGearLab's check, and you get 10 to 11 days between charges, or about five with the always-on screen. Wrist heart rate is where we'd be careful. OutdoorGearLab got within 0.30 BPM of a chest strap, yet Coach lists it as inaccurate, and owners on Garmin's forums keep reporting low readings once effort climbs. Not every owner sees it, so we'd call it fine for easy miles and unproven for hard ones. Say you run intervals by zone: add a chest strap. The newer Forerunner 170 keeps the same sensor and adds training tools. Skip this if you want detailed maps.

We'd pick this over the Bip 6 if you're starting to run and want more than basic tracking. Offline maps with turn-by-turn routing are rare at this level, and you get sapphire glass too. Say you're visiting a new town and want a safe loop without carrying your phone: load a route and go. Battery is solid at well over a week in normal use, though GPS runtime falls short of the listed figure. Heart rate is the catch. It matched a Garmin Forerunner's 135 bpm average on one steady run at Gadgets & Wearables, but it's weaker on hard runs, and Women's Running saw the 180s or 190s at a comfortable pace. We'd believe that warning: use it for easy miles, or pair a Bluetooth strap for zone training. Training analysis is thin as well. If you're serious about structured running, we'd spend more on the Forerunner 165.

We'd buy this if you want Garmin's data in a watch you'll wear all day, not just on runs. It's slim enough to fit under a sleeve, it adds Garmin Pay and music storage, and GPS is dependable, just 0.05 miles off a 2.8-mile course at OutdoorGearLab. Heart rate is good, not perfect, and it falters at high intensity. Say you do a gym class before work, then tap to pay for coffee on the way in: that's the day this watch suits. Expect just under a week with regular GPS use. One warning: several owners on Garmin's forums saw battery fall from about a week to about a day after software 16.07, so check recent posts before you update. The Vivoactive 6 is only a very modest hardware step, so we wouldn't rush to it. Skip this if you need navigation or an altimeter.

Buy this one if you want a cheap watch that doesn't look cheap. Design is why it earns its place, and for casual use it does the job. Plan on about 7 to 10 days against a 13-day claim. GPS locks on within seconds, so say you head out for a lunchtime run and leave your phone on your desk: you'll still get a usable route, with the odd bit of drift. We'd call heart rate fine for everyday use, but we wouldn't lean on its sleep data, which can be inconsistent. The gaps are the real deal-breakers. There's no swim tracking, no NFC payments and no third-party apps, and don't count on the ChatGPT feature if you use an iPhone. At 47mm and 51g before the strap, it's also a lot of watch for a small wrist. If you swim or want to pay from your wrist, this isn't your watch.

Think of this as a fitness tracker dressed as a nice watch, and buy it only if that's what you want. We like the design, the dual-band GPS and the quick top-ups, with about 70% in 30 minutes. Say you get home with a low battery and a run planned tonight: half an hour on the puck sorts it. Plan on five days to a week, not the claimed 10, and less with the always-on screen. Heart rate depends on what you do. It stayed within 1 BPM of a Garmin chest strap on Tech Advisor's treadmill runs, but it missed spikes in the gym at Expert Reviews. We'd trust it for steady cardio and not for lifting. There are no apps, and NFC won't work with bank cards. OnePlus hadn't announced US sales when Tech Advisor covered it, and we can't confirm iPhone support, so check the listing first.

If you own an iPhone, we think this is the smartest cheap watch you can buy. You get the same S10 chip as the Series 11, plus Apple's full app choice, and you give up ECG, blood oxygen readings and some screen size and brightness. Most people won't miss those. The real cost is battery, so plan on charging every day. Say you want sleep tracking: you'll need an hour on the charger before bed, or a top-up while you shower, since 15 minutes gives about eight hours. We think a full day is enough if you build that habit, but if the routine sounds annoying, believe that feeling and buy an Amazfit instead. Run heart rate stayed within 1.24% of other devices at Expert Reviews, with the odd dropout, and GPS can smooth off corners. It's fine for everyday training. Skip it if you're on Android, since it won't work at all.

Only buy this if you have a Galaxy phone and it costs clearly less than the Watch 8. As a first smartwatch it still holds up, with sapphire glass, strong sleep tracking and heart rate averages within a few beats of an Oura Ring and Apple Watch Series 9 at Digital Trends. The catch is battery: about a day and a night with sleep tracking and a short workout. Say you track your sleep and then a morning GPS run: you'll want the charger before the next evening, and a full charge takes around 85 minutes. Owners on r/GalaxyWatch also reported faster drain after updates this year, including a Watch 7 owner whose restart helped for only about a week. It also starts in Mute mode, so switch that or you'll miss alerts. Skip it on an iPhone, where it won't work.

If you own a Galaxy phone and can find this cheaper than the Watch 9, it's the older Samsung we'd buy first. It's comfortable, and you get the health tools and full Wear OS that the Amazfit, CMF and OnePlus picks don't offer. Pickr's Watch 9 review says the older model "might just end up being better value". Treat it as a one-day watch and charge it every night. Say you have a heavy day and skip a charge: you could be looking for the puck by mid-morning. It may get worse, too, because owners on r/GalaxyWatch have reported repeated waves of fast drain through 2026, with no confirmed fix. Stay away unless you have a Samsung phone, since notifications failed on a Pixel and the health monitoring features need Samsung's app. If battery matters more to you than software, an Amazfit makes far more sense.