Best Smartwatches for Women

by Julia Wright | Last Updated on January 20, 2020

Listing the best smartwatches for women isn’t an easy undertaking because of an extensive range of preferences. Women have a tendency of not being ready to compromise on any of their wishes. I’ve tried my best to come up with a list of top smartwatches for women while keeping in mind the features women admire the most.

If you’re in a hurry, I can recommend the Apple Watch Series 5 as the best overall smartwatches for women currently. It carries the delicate feminine look, fits nicely on women’s wrist, and comes with exceptional fitness features. Besides, you can check out the complete list of the best smartwatches for women before making the final decision.

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1. Apple Watch Series 5 – Our Top Pick for iOS users

The design features are exceptional as the Apple Watch Series 40mm/44mm is slim and stylish. It is good to have two size options, and you can select the one more suitable for your wrist.

Apple Watch Series 5 is arguably the best iOS smartwatch for women because of an extensive range of customization options. The watch serves you with some excellent features, including stand-alone GPS, a huge variety of compatible apps, and 50-meter-depth waterproofing. And let’s not forget that you can use Apple Pay with this smartwatch.

As far as the interface is concerned, it is minimal yet attractive. Using fitness tracking features is easy, even for the newbies. The Series 5 has a heart rate monitor in addition to some useful sensors. For instance, this smartwatch is capable of detecting the fall, notifying emergency contacts, and integrating with the electrical-heart-rate sensor application. It is also compatible with the Electrocardiogram App (Food & Drug Administration Certified).

Another good news is that there is an LTE version of Apple Watch Series 5 that serves you with cell-phone features, including texts, calls, and internet browsing. It means that you don’t have to carry your smartphone with you all the time. But there is a monthly connection fee for the LTE version, and the charges depend on the carrier.

Talking about the battery, Apple Watch Series 5 has an impressive battery life that easily lasts for 24 hours once fully charged. Turning OFF app notifications extends the battery life even more. The always-on display decreases the battery life though.

The design is minimalistic, and Apple has done a great job of encasing all important features without letting the design carry a bulky look.

Pros and Cons

2. Fossil Gen 5 Julianna – Our Top Pick for Android users

The Fossil Gen 5 Julianna carries a look of the conventional metal watch. This is one of the best smartwatches for women looking for something that comes with contemporary smart-features but at the same time, carries a delicate conventional outlook.

The classic design is sleek and suitable for all ages. The Gen 5 Julianna is a nice looking Android smartwatch. Talking about the features, this particular product is a promising women smartwatch for fitness. It comes with a heart rate monitor, NFC, and GPS.

Fossil is the brand known for its consistent upgrades on its Wear OS smartwatches. This Fifth-Gen smartwatch features a compact case with a user-friendly display.

The Julianna Gen 5 also supports the mobile payment app. In terms of finishing, you have a variety of options, including leather strap, rose gold casing, metal bracelet, etc. Fossil offers various 22mm straps, which you could buy for this Gen 5 Julianna model as well.

The stylish Julianna Gen 5 resists water up to 3 ATM, which means you can even wear this watch while swimming. Thanks to the power of Android Wear (now called Wear OS), this watch can run hundreds of apps available on the Play Store literally.

The Julianna Gen 5 also serves with texting and app notifications, and you are free to customize the watch-face by selecting from a range of feminine-friendly colors and faces.

It’s worth to mention that this watch is compatible with iPhone (iPhone supports most of the Wear OS functions) as well as Android smartphones, but of course its performance is optimal while using Android devices.

Pros and Cons

3. Skagen Flaster 2

The Skagen Flaster 2 features the same minimal design as its predecessor, but this upgrade comes with a built-in GPS and Heart Rate Monitor. The Flaster 2 allows you to buy in-app features using Google Pay.

Skagen is mostly preferred by women who love wearing compact and minimalistic watches. The design is unique, the bands are simple, and the version 2 is even slimmer than the original version. In fact, its smart design appears suitable for both genders, but I think it’s not the best smartwatch for people with small wrists.

The Flaster 2 is compatible with Wear OS, which means that you can connect it with both an iPhone and an Android smartphone. As is the case with most of the Wear OS supportive smartwatches, Skagen Flaster 2 is also most recommended for Android Phones. The Wear OS functionality is limited when connected to an iPhone.

Skagen Flaster 2 is the second-gen smartwatch that allows you to use scores of Android apps and make secure transactions via Google Pay. It receives app notifications and text alerts. You can also control music, manage calendar features, and even download community (third-party) apps.

The touchscreen is customizable. You can set multiple time-zones, alarm settings, and storage features.

The smartwatch works for up to 24 hours after a full charge, and it can work for even 48 hours in a low-power mode. The magnetic rapid (USB) charger fills the battery to 80% of the full capacity in less than 60 minutes.

The 40mm case of Skagen Flaster 2 is compatible with all 20mm Skagen-made bands.

Pros and Cons

4. Samsung Galaxy Fit

The low price doesn’t necessarily mean a lack of essential features. Samsung Galaxy Fit has a sleek design, and also is pretty simple to operate. Yes, you can’t expect extravagant whistles and bells, but as long as fitness tracking is concerned, Samsung Galaxy Fit is a considerable choice.

The Galaxy Fit is capable of tracking your steps automatically. Also, it monitors the heart rate, tracks sleep patterns, and keeps a record of caffeine intake. The accuracy level is above average. It is a suitable low-budget sports smartwatch for women.

The best feature of Samsung Galaxy Fit is its extended battery life that lasts for up to 7 days (depending on use). You can pair Samsung Galaxy Fit with your Galaxy Smartphone if you don’t want to miss notifications, weather updates, and calendar reminders.

At any given time, the Samsung Galaxy Fit can alarm you as soon as your heart rate hits the top or lower bar. The watch carries an impressive AMOLED (Full-Color) Always-On display.

It is designed to survive extreme temperatures. Samsung Galaxy Fit is compatible with iOS and Android. It is also a good low-cost smartwatch for swimmers.

Don’t worry about your eating habits because the Samsung Galaxy Fit is here to monitor calories burned and water intake. Once connected to your smartphone, you can use this watch to check notifications and reply instantly without having to carry your phone all the time.

Pros and Cons

5. Samsung Galaxy Smartwatch

The Samsung Galaxy SM-R800NZSAXAR is the stylish and sporty smartwatch with a circular, smooth, and delicate design. It feels comfortable on the wrist thanks to its rubber strap. Same as with most of the contemporary Samsung display units, this watch features a full-color super AMOLED 360x360p display. Also, the Corning Gorilla Glass DX+ protects the screen from scratches and shocks.

The model is capable of following up to around 40 different exercises in addition to monitoring heart rate. It is good at detecting the change in physical activity. It serves you with the primary health monitoring features, including calories burned, floors climbed, and steps taken.

GPS is one of the features that we miss with most of the fitness tracking smartwatches for women, but Samsung Galaxy Smartwatch SM-R800NZSAXAR has a built-in GPS capable of high-precision real-time tracking.

Additional health monitoring features include sleep-pattern monitoring while maintaining the record of the duration spent in each of four sleep stages. The watch also helps you to stabilize breathing session to lower the stress level.

You can stick to the set schedule by keeping an eye on the ‘My Day’ feature. This feature serves you with a summary of your activities through the latest 10 hours.

The Galaxy smartwatch lets you pay online via NFC. This IoT packed smartwatch is a virtual automation hub because it is capable of controlling different appliances.

The battery life of SM-R800NZSAXAR is above average. It’s great to have a battery that lasts for up to 3 days when it provides you with so many features. Especially keeping in mind that it has a built-in GPS.

Pros and Cons

6. Michael Kors Access Women’s Sofie MKT5064

If you are looking for a delicately impressive sophistication, then check out this aesthetically appealing smartwatch from Michael Kors. Talking about the design, the MKT5064 gives you an option of using interchangeable straps. It features a 1.2-inch display, so you don’t miss any notifications once the watch is synchronized with your smartphone.

The display quality is quite good. It is a 360x360p AMOLED touch screen with a classy interface.

You can set goals for yourself, and this watch will track your performance to keep you motivated. The watch resists water for up to 1 ATM. That is the real downside because, at this price, you are expecting water resistivity up to at least 3 ATM to make it suitable for swimmers.

The smart features of Michael Kors Sofie include music control, heart rate monitoring, NFC payment, and untethered GPS. The battery life is disappointing, though. Usually it requires recharging in less than 24 hours.

The Sofie MKT5064 facilitates you with app notifications, texting, call accept/ignore, weather update, calories burned, reminders, and list creation. You can choose from a variety of faces to customize the screen.

Overall, the MKT5064 model is an impressive Android smartwatch for women due to its stylish design added functionality. You can use email, Google Assistant (Voice Activated) for calls, and navigation/direction assistance.

The MKT5064 by Michael Kors is Wear OS supportive and it is compatible with 4.1 Low-Energy Bluetooth(R) as well as WiFi 802.11 b/g/n. This particular model carries a 42mm case with 11mm thickness.

Pros and Cons

7. Samsung Gear Sport

Here comes one of the best smartwatches for women by Samsung. It is the SM-R600NZBAXAR Samsung Gear Sport Smartwatch with some impressive upgrades. It is a suitable choice for women looking to keep track of their active lifestyle, especially when engaging in sports activities.

You could either opt for dark blue or black color. The design is pretty nice, but not as delicate as you expect from high-end smartwatches these days. This model weighs 2.3 ounces, which are neither exceptional nor bad. Once you are not wearing it, the absence of 2.3 ounces makes you notice something lacking on your wrist.

The Gear Sport comes with 20mm straps. When in the water, you will have to tighten the belt to make sure that the measurement of pulse remains accurate. Samsung has used stainless steel 316L for the body of this smartwatch.

As far as water resistance is concerned, the Samsung Gear Sport SM-R600NZBAXAR is arguably the best water-resistant smartwatch from Samsung so far. This model has been verified to resist 50 M (approximately 5 ATM).

Screen-readability is above average under different conditions. It allows you to use Always ON Mode with the dim light. As soon as you lift your wrist, the brightness increases (as per the settings).

The display shows all Samsung Heath monitoring features. As an added function, this watch serves you with training options, for instance, swimming, weightlifting, Pilates, in addition to the conventional cycling and running training options.

The downside is that the Samsung Voice will only work when you connect the watch to the Samsung smartphone. Even though it’s compatible with iPhone and Android phones from other brands, Samsung Voice will work only with Samsung devices.

This particular Samsung Gear Sport smartwatch supports NFC payment. The GPS and Glonass are also there to help the watch fully-navigate the surroundings without requiring a smartphone connection. The sensors include altimeter, speedometer, and barometer. It serves you with local weather updates too.

The 300mAh Li-Ion built-in battery can run up to a couple of days (with Always ON Mode). Full charging requires up to a couple of hours.

Pros and Cons

8. Fossil Women’s Gen 4

The attraction of the Fossil Women’s Gen 4 FTW6016 is its upgraded Q Venture HR. The design is elegant and best suited for women wanting to wear something that is pleasing on the eye. You have the option of selecting from the gold and pink shades.

The Fossil Women’s Gen 4 is made of stainless steel. It has a 40mm Q Venture HR, and you can use it with 18mm leather straps or bracelets, whatever you prefer. This watch is based on Snapdragon Qualcomm Wear 2100 that supports Wear OS interface.

Customization options are good as you have the freedom to choose from various faces. The unique feature allows you to use photos from Facebook of Instagram. The Women’s Gen 4 features GPS, light sensor, microphone, accelerometer, altimeter, gyroscope, and heart rate monitor. Also, it allows you to pay via NFC payment mode.

The battery life is not as good as you expect from a smartwatch in this price range. After a full charge, the battery lasts for almost 24 hours. This is probably the major downside of the smartwatch.

The leather straps tend to deteriorate quickly. The focus seems more on the delicate outlook instead of the high-tech IoT automation.

Pros and Cons

9. LETSCOM Fitness Tracker

It’s a cute-looking fitness tracker/smartwatch from Letscom that is best suited for young girls. The watch offers some impressive health and workout monitoring features at a very competitive price. The price-feature balance is what makes its way to our list here.

You can select from five different colors. It is a slim design best suited for girls with small wrists. There are some useful customization features to track various activities.

The downside of the Letscom Fitness Tracker is that it lacks a waterproofing feature. Even though drizzle doesn’t damage this watch, you shouldn’t risk submerging it in water.

You get all standard fitness tracking features with the tracker. It monitors heart rate, tracks physical activity, and even record sleep patterns. If you have been doing nothing for a long time, a special reminder recommends you to take some exercise. The accuracy level is pretty reliable.

You can receive calls and check text notifications. Also, it is compatible with instant messengers and social networks. All you need is to sync the fitness tracker with an iPhone or an Android smartphone.

The Letscom tracker reminds you about the planned activities. Also, it has an alarm clock. It is good to notice that this particular device doesn’t vibrate vigorously, and it also allows you to customize the sound level.

Letscom Fitness Tracker stores data for one week, so it is better to synch it at least a couple of times a week. The battery life is pretty good and lasts for 3 to 4 days.
Talking about the downsides, the tracker faces some issues when synchronizing with a smartphone. It is a Chinese brand, so be ready to have a bit of tough time with English language settings (the setup is pretty simple though).

You need to turn ON Bluetooth all the time to receive notifications, and it reduces battery life. In general, Letscom Fitness Tracker is a budget product, so we shouldn’t expect 100% high-end functionality. But, in my opinion, it is still a good option to be mentioned on this list.

Pros and Cons

10. Fitbit Versa

If you don’t want to compromise on your habit listening to music On-The-Go, then Fitbit Versa smartwatch is what you need to consider. Primarily, this is a health & fitness tracking smartwatch that carries a feminine outlook.

Fitbit has become a popular brand, and the appreciation is on the rise by each passing day. It is mainly because of the above-average precision of the monitoring sensors.

This particular model features a 35mm case. Though it’s not minimal, it still is compact enough to provide with an elegant design. The finishing is good, thanks to the use of lightweight aluminum.

Fitbit Versa comes with a bright color transflective LCD, and the visibility is nice even under bright daylight. This model has made this list because it offers a complete package of fitness tracking. You can even swim while wearing this watch, thanks to 5 ATM water-resistivity.

The Versa smartwatch serves you with over 15 sport modes. An exclusive female-health monitoring feature lets women log periods. You can also seek guidance from on-screen courses.

The accuracy is above average, and this is one of the main reasons that make Fitbit Versa a popular brand with worldwide recognition.

It’s worth to mention another great feature – you can enjoy listening to music On-The-Go by accessing your favorite music apps. It has a storage capacity of around 300 songs.

The watch allows you to choose from a variety of faces. You have the option of changing the silicon straps. The battery life is up to 4 days, but it depends on the usage.

The Fitbit Versa features a 348x250p 1.34-inch touch display (bright LCD). The sensors include the Heart Rate Monitor, Accelerometer, Magnetometer, and Gyroscope. It supports WiFi, Bluetooth, and NFC.

The smartwatch is compatible with iOS and Android.

Pros and Cons

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Smartwatch for Women: Buying Guide

Features to look for in a Women Smartwatch

First things first, you need to specify your exact requirements. Smartwatches from different brands have some exclusive features, for instance, some have more storage for music, some come added sensors, and some are a hybrid.

Apart from regular fitness features, there are also non-fitness smartwatches for women, so you need to shortlist your specific preferences and needs. Let us first discuss some primary considerations for choosing the right product.

Style

Smartwatches come in different styles and finishes, but like myself, most of the women prefer a stylish smartwatch. Yes, the quality and functionality do play a significant role but, at the same time, it’s unlikely you could compromise on style.

The good news is that you can easily find up-and-coming smartwatch styles for women. But at the same time, an extensive range of options sometimes means robust decision making. There are tech-oriented designs, sporty styles, and even the sleek minimalistic styles you can choose from.

The choice entirely depends on your preferences. You need to select the one depending on your wrist size and personality traits.

Aesthetic appeal is equally important to make the watch look fantastic on the wrist. More brands have jumped in anticipating to capture significant market share. Skagen, Fossil, Kate Spade, Apple, Motorola, and Samsung continue to amaze us with impressive and beautiful watches.

Budget

There should be no difficulty when deciding what you can pay for a smartwatch. Do not forget to compare the price based on the features the smartwatch offers. You might find similar features in two smartwatches available at different price tiers.

As per my experience, low-price is mostly suggestive low-precision. Don’t swallow the bait if an option looks too good to be true. Often, it is the brand name that elevates the price to a level at which you face confusion, because the brand itself is a significant consideration when you are going to wear the smartwatch in your social circle. Some people just want the surroundings to notice the brand, so they have to pay some extra bucks for this unique appreciation.

Functions

The primary purpose of a smartwatch is not only to replace the conventions with contemporary trends. Basically, you need a smartwatch for value-added features that help you improve your life. The standard features include sleep monitoring, heart rate monitoring, distance traveled/steps taken, and calories burned.

Thanks to the advancements in IoT Open-Board computing, these days smartwatches come with high-precision sensors, including built-in GPS, speedometer, altimeter, temp-humidity sensor, and sports-modes.

Besides, advanced level smartwatches are capable of controlling home-automation appliances. They assist you with scheduling, a summary of activities, and alerts about the task to be done. Then comes safe payment gateways, including Android Pay and Apple Pay.

Create a list of features you need. For instance, if you are worried about physical fitness, you don’t need high-end sensors and home-automation appliance control.  Be realistic and only focus on what you do need.

Material

Different brands use different materials to manufacture women smartwatches. I personally like stainless steel and lightweight aluminum cases. In addition, don’t forget to check out the display because this is the most crucial part of a smartwatch.

You need to keep in mind the screen resolution as well. Go for the AMOLED display if your budget allows it, or else you can opt for the bright light LCD.

The straps come in various materials, including rubber, silicone, and even metal. See what you like the most, and what makes you feel more comfortable.

Battery

If you spend most of your time at home, then battery life must not bother too much because you can charge it anytime you need to. But when outside, realizing that the battery is draining too fast frustrates you.

I guess, asking somebody for a compatible charging device has never been a task you’d love to do. Anything over 48 hours is an acceptable battery life. But do try your best to find a smartwatch with a fast charging feature.

Device Compatibility

Don’t forget to double-check the device compatibility. Though most smartwatches are compatible with iOS and Android, there are still some issues, especially if you opt for a Samsung smartwatch. These watches are fully-functional only with Samsung smartphones. Upon synchronizing with any other smartphone, their functionality becomes limited. For instance, Samsung Voice only supports Samsung phones.

Also, check out if the smartwatch is compatible with Play Store apps and third-party apps. If you are a fan of installing a bunch of apps to use them on-the-go, then you need to check which app store is compatible with the watch you want to purchase.

Strap Size

It’s an obvious consideration, but sometimes women make a mistake of guessing their wrist size. The best way is to wrap a thread around the wrist and then carefully measure the circumference and then select the right strap size.

Waterproofing

Waterproof is an essential consideration if you are a swimmer. The best smartwatches for women in terms of waterproofing are those with at least 3ATM resistivity. Anything less is not recommended for swimmers.

FAQ

Do you always need to connect a smartwatch to a phone?

It is not a compulsory requirement because a smartwatch itself is a complete device. Yes, you always look for some additional functionality, and this is why smartwatch manufacturers design it to be compatible with smartphones. It is a strategy to attract customers looking for some reliable accessories for value-added functionality.

How far does the synchronization work without interruption?

The range entirely depends on Bluetooth compatibility. Generally, you can consider 33 feet (indoor) to be the maximum distance for stable synchronization.

Can a smartwatch make phone calls?

Most of the smartwatches are not capable of making or answering phone calls. But some smartwatches have this impressive feature. For instance, you can find some in our list – Samsung Galaxy smartwatch can receive and make calls, for example.

What is the recommended case size for the best smartwatch for women?

No more than 44mm is the recommended case size for the best smartwatches for women. Less than 44mm is even better because women have smaller wrists.

What is the recommended thickness for the best smartwatch for women?

For women, 13mm or less is the right thickness because the slimmer it gets, the better it looks on a women’s wrist.

Conclusion

Our list includes a variety of options depending on brands, features, price, and design. As mentioned earlier, nothing is ideal for everything. You need to consider your preferences and realistic requirements.

There is no need to spend too much on the features you don’t need. It is a wise move first to create a list of your requirements based on your lifestyle and daily routine. See what suits you best, check your budget, shortlist the options based on your budget, and then go through the user reviews to know what they say after using different options.

I hope this article will help you to make the right decision. Let me know your experience with smartwatches in the comments below. Thanks for reading ;)

 

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