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You can track your health and fitness for less with the best cheap smartwatch. Even though they’re cheap, that doesn’t mean they can’t help you get healthier. This is especially true if you’re trying to get healthier when costs of living are high. Some of the best cheap smartwatches are just older versions of other models. So, they might not have all the latest features, but they were probably the best smartwatches when they came out and are still pretty good.
Now, the word “budget” is relative. If you own a private jet, you won’t have any trouble buying a Swiss watch that costs thousands of dollars, but for this article, we’ll call anything under $100 “budget.” Also, the said cheap smartwatch needs a little bit of “smartness” to make it more than just a fitness band. Now that you know this, it’s time to find out what the best smartwatch under $100 will be in 2023.
Best Cheap Smartwatch
Fitbit Versa 2 Smartwatch
The Fitbit Versa 2 shows that smartwatches that cost less can be just as good as those that cost more. Even though it’s an older smartwatch that will be replaced by the Versa 3 in 2020 and the Versa 4 in 2022, it’s still the best cheap smartwatch right now because it has so many great features that fitness fans on a budget will love. We found that the Versa 2 was almost the perfect fitness tracker when we tested it.
It has an easy-to-use interface that lets people who aren’t beginners focus on what they’re doing instead of figuring out where to go to record their workouts. Even if you forget, any activity that takes 20 minutes or more will count as exercise.
Having Alexa is a nice bonus, but when we tried it, we found that it didn’t always work. Also, there is no GPS, so when you go hiking or running, you need to bring your phone to record your location and distance accurately.
Amazfit Bip U Pro Smartwatch
The Amazfit Bip U Pro is the best cheap smartwatch if you only want to spend less than $100. The brand is known for making reliable, well-built, and affordable smartwatches, so you can count on one of their best-selling models to help you keep track of your daily activities. This model is an updated version of the very popular Bip U. And for a cheap smartwatch, it has many great features, like a built-in GPS and a voice assistant that works with Amazon Alexa.
It’s one of the few inexpensive wearables with GPS that isn’t a watch. Amazfit didn’t just add it because it was already there. During our tests, we found that this watch’s GPS tracking works well and gives accurate results. That could be the most important part of this update, but there are also many other things to discuss. It has many fitness and health features, like tracking your heart rate, SpO2, sleep, and breathing. It also has more than 60 workouts and activities and a camera shutter.
Fitbit Versa 3 Smartwatch
The Fitbit Versa 3, the latest version of the popular Fitbit Versa series, is the best cheap smartwatch for people who want a full-featured experience. The Versa 3’s biggest improvement is that it has GPS built in. The Versa can track your location even if you leave your phone at home while you work out outside. A big screen that curves is also great. Also, the Versa 3’s Active Zone Minutes feature is a great way to get yourself to work out.
Active Zone Minutes came out with the Fitbit Charge 4 and are now a standard feature on all Fitbit devices. During your workout, it keeps track of how much time you spend in the fat burn, cardio, or peak heart rate zones. You aim to get the 150 Active Zone Minutes a week that the AHA and WHO recommend. Again, you can use your Fitbit Versa 3 to make phone calls and ask questions through voice assistants, but remember that you can only use one voice assistant at a time.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 4
People who have an Android phone or a Samsung phone and want a cheap smartwatch should get the fourth-generation Samsung Galaxy Watch. It looks much like the new Galaxy Watch 5, but it’s now cheaper. The Wear OS platform was used for the first time on the Galaxy Watch 4. It also has everything you need to keep track of your health.
It can even tell you what makes up your body. The Galaxy Watch 5 and the Galaxy Watch 4 aren’t too different from each other. The Galaxy Watch 4 is a great choice because of this, especially when it’s on sale. Even though it’s no longer made, you can still find it in many stores.
Amazfit GTS2 Mini Smartwatch
The Amazfit GTS2 Mini Smart Watch has a 1.55-inch AMOLED screen and can be customised with different watch faces. It lets you check how much oxygen is in your blood and has a sensor that measures your heart rate.
It has more than 70 sports modes and can track how well you sleep and how stressed you are. You can use it while swimming because it can handle water up to 5 ATM. You can talk to Alexa on your Amazfit GTS 2 Mini Smart Watch.
You can ask questions, get translations, set alarms and timers, make shopping lists, check the weather, control smart home devices, and more. The fully optimised battery management system in the Amazfit GTS 2 mini watch lets it run for up to 14 days on a single charge. Get rid of the stress that comes from always having to charge and keep the energy going. The 220mAh battery can keep you going for as long as two weeks.
Garmin Forerunner 55 Smartwatch
The Garmin Forerunner 55 is an affordable smartwatch that is great for runners who want to take their training to the next level but don’t want to spend a lot of money. It’s not too expensive and has a lot of features that will help you keep track of your runs, see how you’re doing, and reach your goals. First, it has GPS built in, so you can leave your phone at home and still track your route, distance, and pace. This is a great solution for runners who don’t want to bring their phones.
It’s also cool that it can track your heart rate. It tells you your heart rate right now, so you can see how hard your heart is working as you run. The Garmin Connect app has a lot of features, and it also shows you the best fitness information that Garmin knows.
You can check your running data on your phone, tell your friends about your runs, and even race against other runners. The Forerunner 55 is right on the edge of “budget,” since you can often find it for less than $200.
Amazfit BIP S Lite Smartwatch
Here it is. It was the very first Amazfit Bip! Why does the name have a S? What makes it “Lite,” though? We’re going to talk about it again soon. When it first came out, this watch stood out because its LCD screen reflected light. Even though it’s old tech, it’s very smart. The screen lets light from the room in, so it’s easier to read when there’s more light.
This means that you don’t need a backlight to see the screen in direct sunlight, which greatly affects battery life. It is said that a single charge of the Amazfit Bip S Lite will last up to 30 days! Even if these numbers are a little off, you can still use this watch for good month. Now, about that S: the original Bip is no longer made, and the S is kind of like a spiritual successor to it.
Fossil Explorist HR Smartwatch
Out of all the cheap smartwatches we looked at, the Gen 4 Explorist HR looks the best. The Explorist HR is a pretty good car, even if you don’t like how it looks. It uses Wear OS, like the Ticwatch E2, so you can use a lot of Google apps. Unlike the E2, it also works with Google Pay, so you can use it to buy things in stores, bars, restaurants, and other places. You can also control your music and get notifications from apps, your calendar, email, social media, and so on.
The smartwatch can also store music, keep track of your heart rate, and has GPS built in. It comes with an alarm clock, a fitness tracker, and an LED flashlight, and it can be used in water up to 30metres deep. On the other hand, depending on how you use it, the battery only lasts about one to two days. But a mode called “Time Only” lets you save battery power when all you need to know is the time.
Final Words
The best cheap smartwatch is an odd bird for sure. What used to be expensive is now considered to be inexpensive. That’s how fast mobile technology changes, and we indeed live in a golden age. You can get a lot for less than $100, like active health monitoring, notifications on your wrist, and GPS, which used to cost hundreds of dollars a few years ago.