The best budget smartwatches you can buy right now

The CMF Watch Pro 2 is the second effort from the Nothing spin-off that bucks the trend that smartwatches need to feel cheap.

The Android and iOS-friendly Pro 2 does that by offering the ability to switch out both the straps and bezels to mix up what’s matched up with the minimalist, aluminium case that houses a vibrant, 1.32-inch AMOLED display.

Features-wise, the Watch Pro 2 lets you make and take calls over Bluetooth, control music playing on your phone and lets you pick from over 100 different watch faces.

On the fitness tracking front, you’ll find built-in GPS and support for over 120 sports modes, though it’s a better fit for keeping track of daily steps, sleep and keeping an eye on your heart rate during the day.

It can run for up to 11 days or 9 days with heavier usage to give this good-looking option plenty of staying power in between charges.

The SE 2nd-generation is the best Apple Watch option for most people with an iPhone who want a smartwatch without paying the prices of the flagship models or an ancient edition.

It is starting to age a little but the Watch SE 3 is still a way off and the price of the SE 2 is now under £200 if you find the right deal. Even at the full RRP of £219 for the smaller 40mm model, it is very reasonably priced – not something we can often genuinely say about Apple hardware products.

It has many of the features of the more expensive models, while maintaining the modern and iconic design with the same chipset as the Series 8. Battery

If you equally value smart features like third-party app integration, music storage, contactless payments and full fitness tracking, the Apple Watch is still the best smartwatch if you have an iPhone. The SE does everything surprisingly well considering it’s the cheapest one.

The Huawei Watch Fit 3 is part of the new breed of fitness tracker and smartwatch hybrid that do both in an equally impressive manner.

Huawei ticks the design box offering a pick of six case colours made from aluminium with buttons that scream Apple Watch. It’s got a decent 43mm frame and lets you remove the straps to mix up that look.

Along with a high-quality 1.82-inch AMOLED that can stay on at all times, Huawei makes room for a microphone and speaker to let you make calls and even listen to music without headphones.

Running on Huawei’s Harmony OS, the Fit 3 works with Android and iOS, with iPhone owners most notably missing out on the onboard music player support. You will get notifications, music controls and some nice preloaded watch faces. Unlike pricier Huawei watches, you don’t get access to Huawei’s AppGallery storefront.

It’s a fitness tracker and sports watch in one with built-in GPS, activity and sleep tracking covered and has upgraded the optical heart rate sensor to boost tracking accuracy.

You can get anywhere from 4-10 days of battery to give the Fit 3 good stamina to go with its more likeable smartwatch look.

Amazfit arguably kickstarted the move to more attractive affordable smartwatches and the GTS 4 definitely fits the bill for delivering a sleek, cheap smartwatch.

The GTS 4 gives you four case colour options to pick from and strap options that add up to a surprisingly svelte and lightweight smartwatch. That’s matched up with a bright and clear 1.73-inch AMOLED display.

Running on the Android and iOS-friendly ZeppOS, the GTS 4 has the skills to let you speak to Amazon Alexa, make Bluetooth calls and pile on your music to listen to your sounds on the move. If you want an OS that gives you big-name apps to download, then sadly that’s not the case here.

The square smartwatch offers plenty of fitness tracking features to make it well-suited for runners, swimmers, cyclists and lovers of those more niche sporting pursuits.

It’ll give you up to 8 days of battery life or four days with heavier use, which you can extend to roughly a month if you want to strip back the features. 

If you’re looking for a stylish, square smartwatch that promises a mostly solid performance, that’s what the GTS 4 gives you.

The Honor Watch 4 is another affordable buy that offers good looks and a software experience that, a few quirks aside, makes it a solid cheap smartwatch to pick up.

It’s wrapping an aluminium case and silicone strap on your wrist with a 1.75-inch, 450 x 390 AMOLED display to stare down at. As a package, it’s also waterproof up to 50 metres depth.

The Android and iOS compatible Watch 4 offers access to most of its features across the two phone platforms including notifications, music controls, making calls, with the music player mode only available to Android users.

For fitness tracking, there’s built-in GPS along with some basic albeit useful navigation features to boost its abilities when exercising outside. There are some additional training insights like VO2 Max and rating your fitness age on offer.

It’ll track your steps and sleep, though with varying accuracy, while battery life can max out at two weeks but is more likely to last a week. It’s a good all-round package that offers surprisingly good sports tracking for the price.

A smaller and cheaper version of the Amazfit GTS 4, the GTS 4 Mini looks to retain the core qualities of Amazfit’s likeable and more expensive square smartwatch.

You’re still getting a light and compact design with a metal case, removable straps and a good-quality, 1.65-inch AMOLED touchscreen that supports staying on at all times.

Like other Amazfit smartwatches, it runs on Zepp OS, which gives you something that’s compatible with Android and iOS and runs pretty slick overall. It offers smartwatch staples like notifications, the ability to view the weather and set timers and reminders. There are some big extras like Amazon Alexa integration.

In true Amazfit style, there’s an abundance of fitness and wellbeing tracking modes on offer including support for over 120 sports modes with automatic tracking recognition available for activities like walking, cycling and indoor rowing. Its sports tracking abilities won’t rival a dedicated sports watch, but certainly performs better than other similarly priced smartwatches.

It’s a smartwatch that can last for well over a week before it needs charging and can go longer if you’re willing to sacrifice some tracking modes. If you’re looking for a classy-looking smartwatch that’s a better fitness tracker than a sports watch, there’s a lot to like here.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch FE essentially sees Samsung take its older Galaxy Watch 4 and give it a bit of software tune up to make it a viable alternative to its pricier Galaxy Watch 7.

Given the Galaxy Watch hasn’t radically changed all that much over the last few versions, the FE has a look very much in keeping with the latest Watch, with three colour options available and features a punchy 1.2-inch Super AMOLED display. Unlike newer watches, it comes with just the one 40mm case size option.

Running on Google’s Wear OS 4 with Samsung’s One UI 5 overlaid on top, the FE still gives you Google apps like Google Maps and access to the Google Play Store for more big-name apps to download.

When it’s time to work out, there’s your pick of over 100 workout modes and also usefully includes a running coach mode for running newbies. It’ll track steps, sleep and even packs an ECG sensor, which is only accessible if you own a Samsung smartphone.

If you like the idea of a Samsung Galaxy Watch that looks and runs mostly like its latest Watch and you’re an Android phone owner, this might be one for you.

The Xiaomi Watch 2 gives you a more affordable route to Google’s Wear OS when you’d typically have to spend a lot more to get access to Google’s apps, user interface and all-important access to the Google Play Store.

Xiaomi gets plenty right with the design, matching up an aluminium case and the choice of a more exercise-friendly strap or leather and braided bands. The swim-proof smartwatch also hosts a good-sized, 1.43-inch AMOLED that’s bright, vivid and can stay on at all times.

There’s good all-round performance powered by one of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 chipsets with 32GB of storage to play with and 2GB of RAM to keep things running nice and smooth.

Along with access to Google’s best through Wear OS, there are over 160 workout modes to pick from, built-in GPS and an optical heart rate sensor that wasn’t the best-performing during exercise. Like many budget options, it’s a better fitness and sleep tracker. One Wear OS undesirable is that the battery isn’t exactly stellar and lasts typically a day.

If you want a cheap route to Wear though, the Watch 2 will give you that.

If you want a smartwatch with a big screen, that’s easy to get to grips with and handles the smartwatch and fitness tracking basics, that’s what Xiaomi’s Redmi Watch 4 promises.

Available in two pretty standard case colour options, the Watch 4 does let you brighten things up with a good array of strap options and is a good match for its aluminium frame. Inside of that lies a 1.97-inch AMOLED display that maxes out at 600 nits brightness and while not the best-in-class screen at this price, is still a solid performer.

It runs on Xiaomi’s HyperOS, which plays pretty nicely with Android and iOS and offers the ability to share data with the likes of Apple Health and Strava. While you won’t find features like payments and apps, you will find good notification and music control support and there’s a microphone that can be used for an emergency SOS mode.

There’s an abundance of sports modes to pick from, with built-in GPS and the ability to track heart rate and blood oxygen levels covered along with some of the training insights you’d expect to find on pricier sports watches. It does track steps and sleep with very visible widgets to help keep an eye on your activity tracking progress.

Getting to the maximum 20-day battery life might be a challenge if you’re using all the features available, but it’s overall a smartwatch that does more good than bad.

It’s got band in the name, but with Xiaomi growing the screen from its Smart Band 8, the Pro feels more like a feature-packed mash-up of a smartwatch and fitness tracker.

Inside the metal body lies a sizable 1.74-inch AMOLED screen to give it more of that smartwatch feel and offer more room for stats and smartwatch-style features to spread across.

Compatible with both Android and iOS, the Band 8 Pro gives you features like notifications and music controls as well as letting you set up reminders and check in on the weather for the day.

When it’s time to work out you’ve got your pick of over 150 sports modes and unlike Xiaomi’s slimmer fitness band, does include built-in GPS. It also keeps tabs on your heart rate, blood oxygen levels, steps and sleep in a pretty reliable fashion.

You’ll get five days of battery life to play with to give the Xiaomi Smart Band 8 Pro pretty good staying power and make it one of the best cheap options available right now.