Looking for a Smartwatch for Gym that Works Without Phone … Any Ideas?

Hey everyone,

You know how annoying it is to carry your phone around while working out? I’m tired of it, so I’m looking for a smartwatch that I can use on its own at the gym. Here’s what I need:

  1. The watch needs to work without my smartphone, so I can leave my phone in the locker.

  2. I want to be able to listen to music with it (Spotify or stored music).

  3. It needs to support FitNotes and an Interval Timer app (both Android apps).

The apps seem to be the tricky part, I don’t want to switch to a different app.

Any suggestions or advice would be really helpful, thanks!

For 3), it looks like that’s only an option for Android phones.

For 2), you can look at Wear OS watches (mostly tied to Android), Garmin, or Apple Watch (which is tied to iPhone). Keep in mind, this assumes you have a Spotify subscription.

For 1), most watches let you track workouts without being connected to your phone.

An alternative if you’re using Android: try the GymRun app on a Wear OS watch, recreate your workouts in GymRun, track all the data there, and then use FitNotes to finish the session.

Garmin has a built-in strength activity tool too, so you could follow along with your workout directly on the watch.

@Teo
Thanks a lot, that sounds like exactly what I need!

If you were on iPhone, the Apple Watch would be the go-to choice. But since you’re on Android, you’ll have some limitations. I think a mid-to-high end Garmin could work great for you. They have good comparisons on their website.

If LTE is a must, the Pixel Watch 3 might do the job, but it doesn’t have the best reputation. It’s basically a fancy Fitbit, and some people say it’s on the verge of becoming obsolete.