Any good ideas for a budget smartwatch?

Seeking Advice
1

Hi everyone,

I’m on the lookout for a good, affordable smartwatch. I know a lot of people recommend the Apple Watch for iPhone users, but I’m hoping to find something cheaper that still meets my basic needs.

Here’s what I’m looking for:

  1. I don’t care about sleep tracking, so it’s not a must-have.
  2. I want something simple—just needs to tell the time, have decent battery life, and send me notifications.

If anyone has any suggestions, I’d really appreciate the help. Thanks!

2

If you’re looking for something super cheap, here’s what I’d suggest:

  1. Colmi – They’ve got different designs, but most of their watches are pretty similar in features. A good pick for a first-time user.

For something budget-friendly but reliable:

  1. Redmi Watch 3
  2. Redmi Watch 3 Active
  3. Redmi Watch 4
  4. Redmi Watch 5, 5 Active, and 5 Lite
  5. Amazfit Bip 5
  6. Amazfit GTS 2 or 4
  7. Haylou RS4, RS5
  8. Mi Bands 8 and up—just pick the design you like since they’re all reliable.

For higher budgets:

Anything from Amazfit, Fitbit, Garmin, or Huawei is solid.

Quick tip: Some watches can take calls if they have a mic, while others only show notifications. If waterproofing matters, look for at least 5ATM. Hope this helps!

3

@Reagan
Colmi isn’t really a standalone brand like the others you listed.

A lot of these super cheap watches come under different ‘brands,’ and Colmi is just one of them.

4

Rory said:
@Reagan
Colmi isn’t really a standalone brand like the others you listed.

A lot of these super cheap watches come under different ‘brands,’ and Colmi is just one of them.

That’s true, which is why I mentioned it’s a super cheap option. It’s up to the person who posted this to decide. I actually started with a fake Mi Band to see if I’d even wear a smartwatch daily. Turns out I did, so I bought the real one later and sold the knockoff.

5

@Reagan
The issue with cheap ones is that most are junk, in my experience. It’s important to check reviews for the specific model. Some are good, but they’re hard to spot because of all the rebranding.

6

If your needs are simple, even some of the really cheap options might work fine! Just know that many of these budget ones aren’t great, but you can find a few decent ones.

I wrote a post about it a while back. Here’s a link to it: reddit.com/r^(/)smartwatch/comments/1bcpah8

My favorite right now is a super thin 7mm watch with a 41mm face, though there’s also a bigger 51mm version. You can check out my review here: link. These models get sold under different names, which is pretty typical for cheaper watches.