Best Budget Smartwatches To Buy in 2022

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A watch is so much more than a way to tell time. It can keep us healthy, connected and organized. Smartwatches were once a luxury item, with a price point so high it stayed on your wish list and not your wrist. Now, there are smartwatches at varying price points that are more affordable than before. 

The Best Affordable Smartwatches To Consider in 2022

Not everybody can afford or even need the latest and greatest smartwatch tech. Paying over $500 for a smartwatch is simply out of budget for many people, but there are ways to get a great value smartwatch without having to dig deep into your pockets. A budget smartwatch may not have all the bells and whistles of the latest models, but it will serve all of your basic needs for fitness and health tracking.  

Here are some of the best affordable smartwatches that will give you great bang for your buck:

1. Fitbit Versa 2: The Fitbit Versa 2 is an excellent fitness smartwatch coming in under $200. You’ll get built-in Alexa connectivity, sleep tracking, 24/7 heart rate tracking, Fitbit Pay, menstrual tracking, and more. The Versa 3 also boasts a battery life that’ll last you at least 6 days on a single charge.
2. Samsung Galaxy Watch 4: The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 is a fashionable and sleek smartwatch that’ll cost you less than $300 (or lower if you have a trade-in). You’ll get thorough health and fitness management on your wrist, including body composition analysis, daily sleep scores, and ECG readings for heart monitoring. Samsung also offers discounts to educators, first responders, military members & families, and government workers.
3. Garmin Forerunner 45: The Garmin Forerunner 45 is a popular option under $200 and is a lightweight smartwatch that offers solid features for runners, including heart monitoring, GPS tracking, and even comes with free Garmin Coach training plans. Comes with incredible 7-day battery life.
4. NDur: The NDur smartwatch comes with a variety of essential features like sleep and heart rate monitoring paired with exercise data tracking, all with a value cost of less than $100. You can choose from a variety of colorful band options as well. It’s waterproof, so you can take it with you through your water activities.
5. Apple Watch SE: If you really want an Apple Watch, there’s no reason you can’t get one within your budget. You don’t have to have the newest one to still have a dynamic, versatile watch in your price point. The Apple Watch SE still tracks your heart rate, and physical activity, and sends notifications right to your wrist. All for under $200.
6. Amazfit T-Rex Smart Watch: Get a more rugged look with the Amazfit T-Rex Smart Watch. This military-standard watch is sure to keep up with the most active lifestyle and is priced under $150. You’ll get a 20-day battery life, water resistance up to 50 meters, and all the basic fitness and activity tracking you’ll need.

Features to Look for in a Smartwatch

The make and model of the smartwatch that’s perfect for you is highly dependent on what you need from a watch. There are so many features, but you’ll likely not even use all of them. Decide what features are important to you in your everyday life and routine. 

• Battery life: How long before the battery needs to be recharged? The battery life will depend on how many things you want to do at once. If you’re taking a call, while listening to music and speed walking, it’s going to drain the battery faster than a day at the office where you’re just checking the time and messages.  
• Fitness Features: Those who are active will want to have their heart rate, oxygen and fitness levels constantly tracked with some built-in fitness features. If you want to incorporate your watch into a healthy lifestyle, look for one with these embedded fitness features. 
• Phone compatibility: A smartwatch that only connects to Androids isn’t going to be very helpful if you’re an iOS user. Since a watch is an extension of your phone, you need to make sure it’s compatible with your mobile device. 
• App selections: Popular apps like Spotify, Google Maps and Uber are just a few examples of things you can add to your smartwatch. Confirm your watch of choice allows you to download apps. 
• Mobile payments: Going for a morning run but don’t want to take your wallet? Most watches offer a form of mobile payment where you can just swipe the face of the watch to a vendor machine. 
• Safety tracking:  Watches with “incident detection” allow you to set up names and phone numbers of people who can be reached if you need help. It will send the emergency contacts a message with your exact location. 
• Smart Home Compatibility: If you use Alexa a lot, for example, you’ll want a watch that connects to it or has an option to download an app that does. You want to confirm your mobile service provider is available to be connected to your smartwatch.

How to Get the Best Deals and Discounts on Smartwatches

When shopping for a new smartwatch, try these tips to get the best deals.

• Wait for Sales: You can wait for big sale days like Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Amazon Prime Day. Back-to-school sales are another option for getting good deals.
• Set Up a Deal Alert: If you aren’t in a rush to get a smartwatch, set up a Deal Alert so you’re instantly notified when there’s a good price available.
• Go for an Older Model: Just because a new Apple watch dropped on the market, doesn’t mean you have to buy that one. The older versions might get a deep discount when a brand launches a new version.
• Take Advantage of Price Matching: When one retailer has a sale, you may be able to price match that at another retailer. This could work in your favor if you are in a rewards program with a specific retailer where you can earn more rewards for your purchases. This means bigger savings overall for you.
• Look for Buy One Get One Free Deals: If you’re looking to outfit the family with watches, look for “Get One Free” deals from vendors like T-Mobile when you purchase a watch. This is a great cost-saving option upfront and keeps you more connected to the ones you love.
• Use Slickdeals’ Browser Extension: Slickdeals has a browser extension that looks for promo codes for you and offers cashback when you shop at select retailers. Install the extension to see how much deeper of a discount you can get.

Watch Out for the Best Deals

Slickdeals is the go-to place for deals, so get started on your hunt for the best deals on smartwatches. You’ll be more connected in no time without breaking your budget.