Best Smartwatch for 2025 – CNET
We test smartwatches in the real world, focusing on the key features, from fitness tracking to connectivity, that you’ll use every day. Starting with the watch itself, we check its overall performance and responsiveness. Is there any lag when navigating menus? Is the touchscreen responsive? Do the applications launch quickly?
Next, we check if it has all the features you expect for the price. This can range from music playback controls to cellular connectivity so you can use the watch away from your phone or an always-on display. All smartwatches need to connect to a phone, so we also evaluate how easy the companion software is to navigate.
Sustainability and design
Smartwatches are something you wear on your body, so we evaluate how comfortable they are to wear. We also know that everyone has a different sized wrist, so we try to see how it fits and feels on a variety of people.
We will then see how it resists everyday wear and tear. Some smartwatches offer increased durability, such as dust or water resistance, suitable for activities like scuba diving and, where possible, we will test this for ourselves.
Battery life
Battery life varies depending on how you use a smartwatch. So we test the battery life with some standard tests. We see how long it typically lasts on a single charge with features that represent typical use, like always-on display, sleep tracking, and doing an outdoor workout with GPS.
This little circle is the temperature sensor on the back of the Galaxy Watch 5.
Accuracy of fitness and health sensors
We test the accuracy of smartwatch sensors in different ways. For example, the heart rate sensor is compared to measurements taken from a chest strap, considered the gold standard for tracking consumers’ heart rates. We compare the watch readings with the bracelet readings for resting heart rate and heart rate during various cardiovascular activities like running or cycling. We check how long it takes to connect to a GPS signal during outdoor training.
Other health sensors, like a blood oxygen sensor, are compared to a pulse oximeter for spot readings when possible.
