Best Smartwatch For Women 2020 | with Comparison Chart
Wearable technology has exploded in popularity over the last five to ten years both as a technology and a fashion statement. Receiving texts, making calls and tracking sophisticated fitness metrics are just a few of the major functions that smartwatches do.
As a complex device with many styles, features, brands, and prices available, smartwatches are highly variable and offer different benefits to their owners. Due to smartwatches being as much as a fashion statement as a tech product to many purchasers, it is a relatively more subjective tech product to review.
This article list fifteen of the best smartwatches for women and provide a possible range of options that cater to suit different needs based on design, features, waterproofing and fitness tracking. We believe the Apple Watch 5 is the best smartwatch for women and our recommended option because of the quality of features, both fitness and smartphone-related. This article will help you find the right smartwatch for you.
Related: Best Budget Smartwatch
Contents
- Comparison Chart
- What features to look out for
- Apple Watch Series 5 - The Best
- Apple Watch Series 4 - Second Best
- Apple Watch Series 3 - A complete smartwatch that was once the best
- Michael Kors Access Sofie & Bradshaw - Fashionable & Functional
- Huawei Watch 2 - Best fitness tracker
- Skagen Falster - Classiest and best-designed
- Toobur Fitness Tracker - Super budget option for fitness
- What is the best Women’s Smartwatch?
- What is the best smartwatch?
- What’s the best Android smartwatch?
- Which smartwatches work with Iphone?
- Do Smartwatches need data plans?
- How far can smartwatch be from a phone?
- Can a smartwatch work without a phone?
- Can you text on a smartwatch?
- Can you make calls from a smartwatch?
- Do all smartwatches work with the Iphone?
- Is Android Wear dead?
Comparison Chart
Design | Smartwatch | Highlight | Battery Life | Connectivity | Availability |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Apple Watch Series 5 | Best overall | 18 Hours | WiFi Bluetooth 5 4G | Check Price | |
Apple Watch Series 4 | Not far behind the best | 18 Hours | WiFi Bluetooth 5 4G | Check Price | |
Apple Watch Series 3 | Fast processor | 18 Hours | WiFi Bluetooth 4.2 4G | Check Price | |
Michael Kors Access Sofie | Customizable background | 24 Hours | WiFi Bluetooth 4.1 | Check Price | |
Michael Kors Access Bradshaw | " Customizable background " | 24 Hours | WiFi Bluetooth 4.1 | Check Price | |
Huawei Watch 2 Sport | Variety of sensors | 48 Hours | WiFi Bluetooth 4.1 4G | Check Price | |
Skagen Falster | Best design | 24 Hours | WiFi Bluetooth 4.1 4G " | Check Price | |
Fitbit Versa | Lightweight | 4 Days | WiFi Bluetooth 4.0 | Check Price | |
Samsung Gear S2 Classic | Simple & fluid OS | 48 - 72 Hours | WiFi Bluetooth 4.1 4G | Check Price | |
Samsung Gear S2 | Simple & fluid OS | 48 - 72 Hours | WiFi Bluetooth 4.1 4G | Check Price | |
Nokia Steel Activity & Sleep | Huge battery life | 8 Months | WiFi Bluetooth 4.1 | Check Price | |
Fossil Q Accomplice | Fossil quality design | 6 Months | Bluetooth 4.1 | Check Price | |
Fossil Q Venture | Fossil quality design | 24 Hours | WiFi Bluetooth 4.1 4G | Check Price | |
Asus ZenWatch 3 | Pretty display | 24 - 48 Hours | WiFi Bluetooth 4.1 | Check Price | |
Kate Spade Scallop | Fashionable design | 24 Hours | Bluetooth 4.1 | Check Price | |
Toobur Fitness Tracker Watch | Budget Option | 5 - 8 Days | Bluetooth 4.0 | Check Price |
What features to look out for
Smartwatches are versatile gadgets that perform many functions related to lifestyle, fitness, and fashion. In many shapes and sizes, smartwatches come in many forms such as fully functional wearables, hybrid smartwatches or fitness trackers.
Design and styling of smartwatches vary between having a steel, leather strap or silicone build. The face of wearables could either be like a classical watch face, digital watch face or have more of a minimalist fitness tracker feel. An LCD or LED screen is the most common formats of display hardware.
Smartphone features are accessible on smartwatches to varying degrees. More expensive and technologically advanced wearables have full access to calls, texts and even apps such as Youtube that work fully independently of the smartphone. They may even have their own sim card and mobile data plan that enables this.
Fitness and health tracking is a particularly popular use of smartwatches with some models being fully orientated and dedicated to these features. Track your heart rate, calories burned, distance run and much, much more.
Options in the smartwatch market encompass these to varying degrees, e.g. some are targeted fitness trackers, some are hybrids with a classical watch look but with limited function and some have a SIM card installed acting like a smartphone.
Given the huge breadth of products that are considered as a smartwatch, any purchasers must understand these differences and prioritize the features they want. A high budget will get you the most of all worlds, although for cheaper you can just one or two of these factors, such as fitness tracking and smartphone notifications.
Apple Watch Series 5 - The Best
Apple has always been at the front of the game when it comes to wearable technology. Now they have made it all the way to the fifth generation without any failure to take features to the next level. When it comes to fitness, function, smartphone features and more, nothing compares to the all-rounded quality and performance of this watch. However, an iPhone is required to be able to use this wearable.
A few standout points of the Watch Series 5 is the Always-On Retina display feature and a real compass rather than one informed by the built in GPS. The Always-On Retina display is the big feature difference, with a new LTPO technology allowing this to adjust the refresh rate of the watch depending on how much it is being used. Additionally, the design of the Watch Series 5 is also available in titanium as well as aluminum and stainless steel. Fitness features are solid, including a heart rate monitor and other metrics recorded.
Apple Watch Series 4 - Second Best
Not many smartwatches match quite meet the impressive standards set by the Watch Series 4. In every area, from the modern sleek design to the high spec hardware and most advanced fitness tracking features, this is the premium standard of a smartwatch. Being an Apple product, the Watch 4 isn’t very cross-compatible and you will need a iPhone 5S or 6 to operate it. Compared to its predecessor, the Watch 4 is a more complete smartwatch with some notable upgrades. Here are the main differences between the Watch Series 4 and the previous model, series 3:
- 30% larger screen
- LTPO power efficient screen
- Curved corners for greater touchscreen
- Denser pixels & information
- Digital crown for precise scrolling
- Optimal Heart rate monitor signals bradycardia
- 18 hours of battery life
- S4 Chip - Silicon in Package
- 2x Faster
- 50% Louder Speaker
Apple Watch Series 3 - A complete smartwatch that was once the best
The Watch Series 3 comprehensively ticks the boxes when it comes to offering the feel, functions, and features that a smartwatch should have. Given this is a product by Apple it is unsurprising that this is the case, especially as there is a huge crossover between a smartwatch and smartphone functions. The design of the Watch Series 3 is slick and tight, and more geared towards the women’s wearable tech audience rather than those seeking a more luxurious look.
This smartwatch comes with a snappy and powerful Apple S3 processor, giving the Series 3 a high-performance feeling. A built-in LTE is available in the highest spec version of this smartwatch to suit the needs of those who wish to take advantage of calling and text function. Unfortunately, as with the Series 4, for some, ownership of an iPhone is still mandatory to use the Watch Series 3. It also involves a monthly bill of $5-$10 of data for your smartwatch SIM card.
The battery life is 18 hours, which is actually relatively low for a smartwatch. In reality, this only matters if you aren’t able to frequently charge the Watch and of course the extensive smartphone and fitness features understandably require more charging.
The Watch Series 3 is a perfect choice for those women who are interested in health and fitness tracking related features. What’s available includes step trackers, workout apps, and an altimeter, but this really just scratches the surfaces of what’s available.
Apple Music and its whopping 45 million songs are available in an ever-expanding library. Siri is also integrated into the smartwatch, although it admittedly does not function perfectly all the time.
The waterproof rating of the Watch Series 3 is IP68 which means it can resist general lifestyle water splashes, such as in the shower or shallow swimming.
A final but sweet benefit of the Watch Series 3 is the Apple Pay compatibility, making purchasing anything incredibly effortless. If you can name a smartwatch feature, this watch will have it. Apples Watch 3 used to be the best women’s smartwatch but has been outdated by the newer counterpart.
Pros
- Fast
- LTE option
- Apple Pay
- Apple Music - 45 Million Songs
- Notifications
- Heart rate montior
Cons
- LTE requires subscribed data
- Requires iPhone
- Pricey
Michael Kors Access Sofie & Bradshaw - Fashionable & Functional
Two Michael Kors smartwatches, the Access Sofie and Bradshaw, are functional, fashionable and the best Android women’s smartwatches. Given that smartwatches are strictly tech products, witnessing luxury fashion brands attempt to take their claim of the market is intriguing, yet very welcome.
One would assume that brands such as Michael Kors would struggle to make an impact in providing the features that define smartwatches. In this instance, Michael Kors actually delivers one of the best offerings on the market, attributed principally to the luxurious design but also due to the smart features offered.
Their intention with this product is clearly communicated by a quote from Michael himself “now there’s no reason to sacrifice style for technology”.
The Kors Access Sofie is the newer version and was released a year after the Bradshaw in September 2017. It is an upgraded and therefore more expensive version than its predecessor. Both are made of stainless steel in with various gold and silver options available with added sparkle if desired. An immediately noticeable difference between the two is the size of the watch.
One area where the Kors Sofie and Bradshaw stand out to other smartwatches is their customizable faces. The Access range is not the only products that do this, but the quality of the available signature presets and the depth customization that accompanies them, makes this one of the finest features. Your customizations of the background color, dials, and other elements can be saved and seen from the MK Access app. It is also possible to select day and night modes for the variability of your faces.
From a technology point of view, the Sofie is a more advanced smartwatch as it has a higher resolution and more RAM. Some users have found that the battery reliability is very questionable, with some full charges being depleted in a couple of hours. This is likely to have been dependant on certain settings consuming power.
The Kors Access Sofie abilities are up to scratch with many of the other smartwatches. It operates on the Android Wear 2.0 platform, providing real-time notifications from your smartphone. The notifications are brief and the finer details will have to be seen on your smartphone. The overall feel of the OS is fluid and professional. Both the Sofie and Bradshaw are compatible with Google Voice and Google Assistant. This is an important feature that keeps these models in the smartwatch race as voice recognition and voice commands are becoming a hugely important part of modern tech.
As these women’s smartwatches operate on Android software, they don’t work too smoothly on iPhones. Realistically, anyone purchasing one of these smartwatches are more likely to be going for style and fashion motives as the price is a little more and the functions are less “fitnessy”.We recommend the Sofie in particular as the best choice of smartwatch for those who use Android.
Pros
- Michael Kors luxury style
- Clean steel look available in a few shades of gold and silver
- Best customizable faces
- Notifications
Cons
- Battery life questionable
- Limited functions on IOS
Huawei Watch 2 - Best fitness tracker
Huawei has gained its notable reputation in the highly competitive smartphone market, producing products rivaling that of those made by Samsung and Apple. It is, therefore, no surprise that their impressive smartphone technology carries over well into their smartwatch range. Huawei’s Watch 2 is their top of the line and best women’s smartwatch dedicated to fitness.
You may be thinking, what about those great Fitbit trackers? In our minds, the Fitbit lacks some of the essential features, such as built in GPS, that the top level women’s fitness trackers have. Additionally, the Huawei Watch 2 is available as a dedicated sports version with tailored training plans and numerous exercise focused features.
Huawei’s use of material from the ceramic bezel and metal rear face give the device a solid and premium feel, unlike early smartwatches that look bulky and unsightly. The Huawei Watch 2 has a low profile (12.6mm wide) and a 45mm face giving it a similar profile to many luxury brands. It is worth knowing that the 20mm watch strap is interchangeable if you fancy a change from the rubber strap. Generally, of course, this slimmer look is more favorable for women’s fashion.
The Watch 2 is packed with an impressive array of sensors kept within the IP68 rated waterproof body, meaning you can temporary submerge the device up to 1.5m. The model with Integrated 4G is great for female runners; allowing you to receive calls, messages and live directions without the need to bring our smartphone.
Built in GPS and continuous heart rate monitor provides you with impressive tracking abilities. Pairing this with Huawei’s workout app allows you to see detailed graphs, including predicted VO2, as well as giving you reminders when you are inactive for more than an hour. Other notable features include; 4GB flash memory, NFC payment, barometer.
The Huawei Watch 2 Sport is an impressive fitness-focused smartwatch with a complete package of features. Integrated 4G and built-in satnav mean no need to bring your smartphone with you on those long runs and gym sessions. For a dedicated gym buddy, the Huawei Watch 2 is the best fitness smartwatch for those keen on the fitness features.
Pros
- Built in GPS
- LTE option
- Integrated storage
Cons
- Lower battery life on 4G model
- Two-button watch control
Skagen Falster - Classiest and best-designed
The Skagen Falster is a beautiful gadget that has an especially simple, classy and authentic look which is undoubtedly one of the fanciest looking women smartwatches. Much of the rating of the Skagen Falster is based upon its looks rather than it technology specs which are lacking somewhat.
The features lack the breadth that many other smartwatches offer for the same price or even cheaper. In practice, the battery life is slightly low despite stating 24 hours. The screen quality and pixelation are also not up to scratch in comparison to some of the better models.
Big issues with the Skagen Falster involve missing some of the key health and fitness trackers that are considered necessary by many women. This includes not having a heart rate monitor, no local music playback, inbuilt GPS and sub-par waterproofing not suitable for the pool. It does, however, have Google Assistant and voice commands built in via Wear OS 2.0.
This women’s smartwatch is great for looking classy and delivering simple notifications. If your looking for an all round and functional smartwatch take another look up this page. If you want a beautiful smartwatch with a bit of smart function then this is for you.
Pros
- Very pretty
- Notifications
Cons
- Not up to scratch features
Toobur Fitness Tracker - Super budget option for fitness
The Toobur Fitness Tracker is a pretty incredibly cheap option for a smartwatch. It is certainly more of a fitness tracker than a smartwatch it is the perfect fit for a budget option. Toobur is a very small company and they only currently offer two wearables which are both in the $20 range.
Accompanied by the free fitness and health tracking app VeryFitPro, the Toobur Fitness Trackeris remarkably well equipped considering its price, This app reports data it has collected in regards to a wide range of health-related purposes.
The Toobur Fitness Tracker comes preset with fourteen activity modes which cover basic activities such as walking, running and cycling to more diverse sports such as yoga, dance, and basketball. It is a matter of selecting an option, exercising and referring to the app available on IOS and Android. Data that is monitored includes heart rate, steps taken and calories burned to name a few.
There is also a feature to track your sleep quality which is again trackable on the VeryFitPro app. The metrics included are deep sleep, light sleep, wake-sleep, and overall sleep duration. The Toobur Fitness Tracker also syncs to your smartphone to send calls, SMS and SNS notifications. This is pretty amazing for its price and quite possibly earns it the status of smartwatch rather than a fitness tracker.
The tracker has an IP67 waterproof rating, meaning it should survive for 30 minutes when submerged in one meter of water. This is not the best womens smartwatch by any means, but it rivals some products which are literally ten times the price. It also has a very strong battery life, one of the best on our list. The Toobur Fitness Tracker is stated to have a battery life of five to eight days.
With budget options that are so much cheaper than its rivals, it is certainly hard to go wrong with a product like the Toobur. This is the best budget smartwatch for women who are less fussed about making a fashion statement and want to pay as little as possible.
Pros
- Incredibly cheap
- Decent fitness & health tracking
- 14 activity modes
- VeryFitPro app
- Call & SMS notifications
Cons
- Less features & functions
- More of a fitness tracker
What is the best Women’s Smartwatch?
The Apple Watch Series 5 is the premium choice because of its well-rounded nature and its complete features. However, the purchase of an Apple Watch does have to follow the purchase of an iPhone if you don’t have one already. This will inevitably mean that for many readers it will not be a viable option. The tiers and features of the smartwatches for women do correlate with price, although some are more geared toward fitness or style.
FAQ
What is the best smartwatch?
The Apple Series 5 is our favorite.
What’s the best Android smartwatch?
The Michael Kors Access smartwatches for style or Huawei Sport 2 for fitness.
Which smartwatches work with Iphone?
The Apple Watch and various models, although AndroidWear is more common.
Do Smartwatches need data plans?
They don’t, although now some are being released with LTE options, although this is a relative luxury.
How far can smartwatch be from a phone?
This depends on the model or brand. Some can be miles away if they have their own data, or some 10 meters if they connect via Bluetooth.
Can a smartwatch work without a phone?
A smartwatch is a complementary piece to a smartphone and requires one to work.
Can you text on a smartwatch?
Most smartwatches let you see a text message and respond to it. Some let you create an original message too, especially newer ones.
Can you make calls from a smartwatch?
Most can’t, but some newer model cans.
Do all smartwatches work with the Iphone?
No, some require an Android smartphone.
Is Android Wear dead?
Absolutely not! It’s been remade a Wear OS by Google.