Affordable Smartwatches and Fitness Bands with Contactless Payment

TicWatch E3 by Mobvoi proves that quality smartwatches do not have to be expensive. The body is made of plastic but boasts IP68 water resistance (suitable for swimming). The 1.3-inch display, though it has fairly large bezels, works well: brightness enough for indoors and outdoors, text is well readable, and colors are pleasant and saturated. Moreover, the gadget is equipped with a voice assistant and can serve as a digital wallet (Google Wallet). Additionally, the model is made in the style of classic smartwatches and does not look cheap at all.

The watch can take on the role of a smartphone: 8 GB of memory allows saving music, podcasts, and audiobooks, and the microphone and speaker enable making and receiving calls without taking the phone out of your pocket. Thanks to the Snapdragon Wear 4100 processor, the system works quite fast and responsively. Also inside is a 380 mAh battery, which provides a day or maximum two days of autonomy—everything depends on usage activity, enabled features, and working sensors.

For health and activity monitoring, all the usual features for such devices are available. Sensors measure pulse and blood oxygen level, and can even do this around the clock. The watch monitors sleep duration, stress level, and when necessary, offers breathing exercises to return to a state of calm. The GPS module helps determine the distance traveled and map out a route. The TicMotion function automatically determines the start of a workout and begins recording activity data. Dozens of sports modes are supported—from mountaineering and ice skating to cycling and swimming. Including, high-intensity interval training HIIT is available, making you sweat and replacing a session with a trainer.

The Fitbit smartwatches, a subsidiary company of Google, can safely be called a universal model: they are available in one size and look equally good on both female and male wrists. Moreover, two straps of different lengths are included for larger or smaller wrists. The device is not cheap, but provides a wide range of functions for athletes, enthusiasts of an active lifestyle, and ordinary users looking for a stylish accessory for everyday tasks (alarm clock, notifications, calls, payments, etc.). The gadget looks neat and unobtrusive on the wrist, is comfortable to wear due to its thinness and weight, and thanks to water resistance, allows you to be in the rain and swim with the watch. The design includes a square case with rounded edges and an aluminum frame, and a regular silicone strap with a classic buckle. The design suggests that the model is primarily intended for a sporty style, though it also looks good with everyday wear. Externally, it resembles the Apple Watch, but here the gadget's shape is more square, and the corners are more rounded. In any case, Fitbit's creation is ready to be a worthy competitor to Apple's smartwatches.

Fitbit Versa 4 offers extended capabilities for monitoring health and activity. It includes 40 sports modes, a calorie counter, a pedometer, determination of distance traveled, including using GPS, pulse measurement, blood oxygen level, and body temperature. The watch can assess heart rate variability (HRV), a quantitative measure of the variability of the time intervals between successive heartbeats, providing information about the overall health, endurance, and stress level of a person. Additionally, the device tracks menstrual cycles, monitors stress levels, conducts sleep monitoring with phase and quality indications, and offers a smart alarm that wakes the user at the optimal sleep stage to feel refreshed and rested.

Even more functions are provided for everyday use. The 1.58-inch AMOLED display mirrors incoming calls, messages, and application notifications when connected to a smartphone. The microphone and speaker allow answering and making calls directly from the wrist. Amazon Alexa voice assistant finds answers to questions and executes commands. Google Maps support helps navigate unfamiliar areas. And using NFC, users can make contactless purchases in stores and pay for public transport (via Google Wallet and Fitbit Pay).

One battery charge lasts up to 6 days of autonomy, but functions like GPS and Always On Display significantly reduce this time. In this case, fast charging will be helpful: just 12 minutes provide a whole day's full work.

The watch became one of the first in Xiaomi's lineup to switch from a proprietary operating system to Google Wear OS. The advantages of this transition are obvious—users get access to the full set of Google applications. These include maps, the Google Assistant, the Google Wallet for payments, and various music streaming services. Moreover, there is enough space for these apps: the gadget has 2 GB of RAM and 32 GB of internal memory. You can even download games—if, of course, it's convenient to play on a small screen. Or at least save your favorite music so you don't have to bring your smartphone or player with you on runs.

In addition to displaying messages and notifications, the watch allows making and receiving phone calls. This happens thanks to Bluetooth pairing with a smartphone and the built-in microphone and speaker, although there is no slot for a SIM card. Another useful function is the emergency call: in case of danger, a triple press of the button will automatically call selected contacts.

Otherwise, the watch can be called a classic model with a standard set of functions and design. The round aluminum case has water resistance up to 5 ATM, meaning you can not only walk in the rain or wash your hands but also swim with the gadget. The 1.43-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 466x466 pixels boasts high brightness (up to 600 nits) for use outdoors on sunny days, working smoothly and responsively. However, this is more due to the powerful Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 processor. There are two physical buttons for control. The claimed battery life, thanks to a 495 mAh battery, is 65 hours. That's almost 3 days, although, on average, with active use, one charge lasts one and a half days.

Health and fitness features are also quite standard: pulse measurement, blood oxygen saturation level, calorie and step count, stress monitoring, sleep and menstrual cycle tracking. The watch supports 160 sports modes, is equipped with dual-band GPS for tracking accuracy within a meter, and includes a compass, altimeter, and barometer.

In summary, the Xiaomi Watch 2 is an unobtrusive but convenient smartwatch for an average user looking for a simple, effective model at an affordable price.

The fifth generation of Samsung smartwatches cannot exactly be called budget, but at the same time, it is a flagship model—made from quality materials, multifunctional, with all the characteristics that may be required by a demanding user. Inside is the Exynos W920 processor, with 1.5 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal memory. The gadget runs on the Wear OS operating system with a proprietary shell, providing a convenient and understandable interface. Note that the watch is not compatible with iOS, but this is unlikely to be a problem because iPhone owners often choose the Apple Watch. Besides, the device does not work with smartphones without Google services and with Android GO.

The main advantage of Samsung's flagships is the extended capabilities for health and sports control. Galaxy Watch 5 can not only count heart rate, steps taken, and calories burned but also measure blood oxygen levels, blood pressure, and even do an ECG. However, remember that this is still not a medical device, so you should not expect perfect accuracy or use the data obtained for disease diagnostics. Additionally, the BioActive sensor can analyze body composition: the percentage of muscles, fluids, and adipose tissue in the body. There is monitoring of the female cycle, stress, and sleep—the watch can even track snoring using the microphone. For athletes and active lifestyle enthusiasts, many programs are provided—from classic running and walking to more specific ones like sailing.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 also has all the necessary functions for regular everyday use. This includes the Google Assistant voice assistant, NFC for making payments, and GPS. When paired with a smartphone, the device mirrors incoming messages and calls, and you can respond to and converse without pulling out your phone. A separate version is available with LTE, which supports e-SIM and does not require a nearby smartphone. However, the 284 mAh battery cannot provide long-lasting autonomy. One charge is enough for a day, at most, one and a half to two days. However, there is quite fast wireless charging with 10W power, which charges the battery up to 45% in 30 minutes.

The watch's protection and durable materials deserve particular attention, allowing for active use and extending the life of the electronics. The case is made of aluminum, the 1.2-inch Super AMOLED display is covered with sapphire glass, which is resistant to scratches. Conformity with the military standard MIL-STD-810 indicates that the watch is not afraid of extreme conditions, blows, and falls (within reasonable limits, of course). And IP68 protection allows you to not take off the gadget in the shower and even submerge it in water up to 1.5 meters for a maximum of 30 minutes. However, this only applies to fresh water.

Finally, Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 is available in two sizes: 40 mm and 44 mm. The model also has an "elder brother", the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, which differs with a titanium case and a larger battery.

The American company FOSSIL has been specializing in the production of watches (first regular, then smart ones) since the 80s and considers them first and foremost a stylish accessory. Therefore, it's not surprising that FOSSIL Gen 6 puts a big emphasis on design. This model is made of quality materials: the case is made of stainless steel, therefore rather heavy. There are several versions to choose from (44 mm and 42 mm), various colors and straps made of metal, silicone, and leather. Thus, FOSSIL has created a universal classic—watches with a traditional design but for different occasions and users: for sports, business meetings, and regular use, for women or men. Moreover, thanks to 3 ATM protection, the gadget is not afraid of water.

The 44-mm version is equipped with a 1.28-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 416x416 pixels and a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 4100+ processor, ensuring fast and high-performance operation. However, autonomy isn't great: with the Always-on Display enabled, constant activity and health monitoring, incoming notifications, and workouts, a single charge lasts a day. This means the device works the entire day, continues to monitor sleep at night, but needs recharging in the morning. Although the charging itself is fast: just 30 minutes to charge the battery to 80%, and on average, full recovery takes about 50 minutes.

The model runs on the Wear OS operating system and has a convenient and familiar interface for many. In addition to the OS, the watch also features useful services from Google: the Google Assistant and Google Wallet for contactless payments. There are also built-in microphone and speaker, providing the ability to answer and make calls when synchronized with a smartphone. The speaker isn't too loud, so having a conversation outdoors might be difficult, but in a room, the audibility is good. Additionally, by classique, the device displays incoming emails, messages, and app notifications.

Although the manufacturer emphasizes design, it hasn't forgotten about sports functions. The smartwatch has quite standard features for tracking activity and health status: pulse and blood oxygen level measurement, step and calorie count, sleep and women's calendar monitoring, as well as many different sports modes. Meanwhile, the GPS module helps calculate distances more accurately during outdoor runs or travels, and the built-in player and available storage allow you to listen to music without using a smartphone.