Best smartwatch for women 2024

It can be fun to accessorize with smartwatches, but it can also be difficult to find the perfect balance of form and function, especially when you’re focused on finding the best smartwatch for women. The good news is there are tons of options to pick from these days.

The 42mm Fossil Gen 6 designed for women is the top choice for several reasons, including premium features and a classic yet stylish design. This may be the best Android smartwatch for women, but it’s just one of many options to consider. We’ve rounded up the best picks to help you find the right one for your needs.

At a glance

Best overall

If you were a fan of the Gen 5 smartwatches from Fossil but had hoped for improvements, you’ll appreciate the Gen 6 smartwatches — including the gorgeous Fossil Gen 6 women’s smartwatch. It employs a stylish design, upgradability to Wear OS 3.5, and an external speaker. It also has everything you need for fitness and wellness tracking as well as keeping in touch: activity and heart rate tracking, an SpO2 sensor for blood oxygen measurement, 3ATM water resistance (depth down to 30 meters), Google Wallet, Alexa, Google Assistant, GPS, Bluetooth Low Energy, and notifications.

If this watch looks familiar, that’s because it’s the women’s version of the Fossil Gen 6 which measures 42mm wide. You’ll get a Snapdragon Wear 4100+ processor, which helps a bit with battery life. If you were hoping for a major upgrade, you might be disappointed; the Gen 6 Women’s has an estimated 24+ hours of life, which isn’t exactly the improvement for which we were hoping. This has been a thorn in the side of Wear OS for quite some time now. Thankfully, the Fossil Gen 6 improves on the Gen 5 lineup with faster charging speeds.

You can always use the battery-saving modes to get more usage between charges. Extended mode turns off non-essential features, like the always-on display, speaker, Wi-Fi, and touch to wake. Location and NFC are set to “on-demand,” so those radios are only turned on when apps are using them. Turning on airplane mode also disables Bluetooth. Time Only mode gives you a few extra hours when the battery is low by functioning as a watch only. In short, if you plan on taking full advantage of all of the features the Gen 6 offers, you’ll need to charge it daily.

These are just a few reasons that the Gen 6 is the best smartwatch for women, including the fact that it is smaller than the men’s variant. It also costs less than flagships like the Pixel Watch 2 and Galaxy Watch 6 and has better battery life.

Best budget

Amazfit smartwatches are excellent for health and fitness tracking. The affordable Amazfit GTR Mini is one of the best smartwatches for women, especially if you want something that has a square dial. It’s compatible with universal quick-release bands so you’ll be able to wear it casually or dress it up as you please. Your watch will always match your outfit because Amazfit lets you make your own watch face and offers hundreds of presets from which to choose.

Some other features to look forward to include a heart rate monitor, dual-band GPS, and a blood-oxygen sensor. As for activity tracking, the Amazfit GTR Mini has over 150 sporting modes, and for some, can automatically detect your workouts or activities. Whether you’re walking, jogging, or running, the feature detects it. You’ll also have 5 ATM water resistance and week-long battery life, which can vary based on the model you choose and your usage.

This is another popular pick so you won’t find too many problems with it. The Amazfit GTR Mini has a speaker and a mic built-in, which is handy since there’s Alexa onboard. It doesn’t have LTE connectivity though, so ultimately you need to be connected to your phone via Bluetooth. Since this isn’t a Wear OS watch, it doesn’t support third-party Wear OS apps like Google Wallet and Spotify.

Best small

The Google Pixel Watch 2 presented itself to the world in 2023 and it’s one of the best Android smartwatches that money can buy. Mind you, purchasing one of these does need a lot of coin. However, the stuff you get in exchange is exciting for sure.

Google didn’t change much with the Pixel Watch 2 and that’s okay. The body of the watch is made of lightweight stainless steel and the display is a crisp 1.2-inch 320ppi AMOLED display with DCI-P3 color. We adore the design; it’s exactly the right shape and size for tiny wrists and the display is absolutely gorgeous. Gorilla Glass 5 keeps the screen protected, but you can always add a screen guard to bolster protection. There’s a rotating crown and an additional button on the side with different functions assigned to each.

Equipped with 5 ATM water resistance, Fitbit app integration, an SpO2 sensor, and a heart rate monitor, the Pixel Watch 2 is ready for all your dynamic activities. Since the Pixel Watch 2 runs Wear OS 4 out of the box, you get everything from Google Wallet to Spotify. Third-party app support within this smartwatch is great and you can easily customize the watch faces in detail. As a bonus, you get six months of Fitbit Premium and three months of YouTube Music Premium with your smartwatch purchase.

Google offers the Pixel Watch in LTE and Bluetooth models, but the former is shockingly expensive for a smartwatch. It’s still cheaper than the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, but the 24-hour battery life pales in comparison to the Watch 6’s three-day uptime.

While I do love the Google Pixel Watch Active Band included in the box, it doesn’t fit formal occasions very well. Sadly, the propriety band connector limits the availability of compatible Pixel Watch bands. In terms of the chassis itself, you can choose from Matte Black, Polished Silver, and Champagne Gold (my personal favorite).

If you’re on the hunt for the ultimate Android flagship wearable that’s not as expensive or as big and weighty as the Galaxy Watch 6, the Pixel Watch is your match.

Best performance

One of the newest smartwatches that will appeal to women is the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6, which happens to be the successor to the Galaxy Watch 5. It comes in numerous sizes and colors, so it’s easy to find a match for your needs. The 40mm aluminum model is lightweight and compact enough that it won’t cramp your style or weigh you down during workouts. You’ll also be able to opt for a model with LTE connectivity if that’s a feature on your wish list.

Perhaps one of the best features of the Watch 6 is the 3-in-1 BioActive sensor. Rather than designing a watch with multiple sensors, there’s one chip that contains three key sensors: optical heart rate, electrical heart, and Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA). You can take a heart rate and electrocardiogram (ECG) reading, plus blood oxygen level measurements. As for the BIA sensor, this feature analyzes your overall body composition by taking key metrics, including body water and fat percentage, skeletal muscle mass, basal metabolic rate, and more.

We can’t fail to mention the main attraction: Wear OS 4. Don’t worry. This is still a Samsung smartwatch to the core, but you’ll notice subtle changes reflective of the Samsung-Google union. For instance, some of the preloaded apps include YouTube Music, Google Maps, Messages by Google, and Google Wallet. Unfortunately, there’s no compatibility for iOS users at this time. Another factor to consider is that you’ll need to have a Samsung-branded Android phone to enjoy some of the best new features on the Galaxy Watch 6.

Best hybrid

Sometimes you’re aiming for the best of both worlds: a solid activity tracker with tons of features in the form of an affordable smartwatch. The Garmin Vivomove Sport will check these boxes and more. Before we touch on the features, let’s talk about the design. The Vivomove Sport is a hybrid smartwatch that comes in a 40mm plastic case and a silicone band. The band color options are Ivory, Cocoa, Cool Mint, and Black.

There are plenty of features to go around. You’ll enjoy five days of battery life on a single charge, 5 ATM water resistance, activity/sleep tracking, heart-rate monitoring, stress tracking, blood oxygen monitoring, female health tracking, and more. It comes in various colors, including gold, pink, black, silver, and rose gold. The beautiful design might make this watch seem like it’s only about looks, but that’s not the case.

When it comes to hybrid wearables, you’ll have to make some sacrifices. You get a monochrome OLED display that only exists on the bottom half of the display, so the room for swiping and tapping is limited. The touchscreen visibility isn’t great in direct sunlight, either. The Garmin Vivomove Sport may be overflowing with healthy/activity tracking perks, but don’t expect any extras. You’ll have to use connected GPS on your phone and you won’t have NFC payments.

Best fitness tracker

While the Fitbit Sense 2 isn’t exclusively for women, it can certainly pass as a women’s smartwatch. When you head outdoors for an intense workout, you can make it look rugged and durable with the right band. When the evening rolls around, switch to an elegant band for a night out on the town. Speaking of which, there are plenty of Fitbit Sense 2 bands from which to choose. A fitness smartwatch can be feminine if you want it to be! There are many improvements worth noting, especially the addition of onboard GPS and a whopping six days of battery life.

This excellent Fitbit smartwatch offers other important features like a built-in mic/speaker and an improved proprietary band system. The mic/speaker means you can take calls on your wrist and hear Alexa’s responses. You’ll have all of the basics you know and love on the Fitbit Sense 2, including activity/sleep tracking, heart-rate monitoring, Fitbit Pay (which is transitioning to Google Wallet), and more.

As always, app selection is somewhat limited, so don’t expect much on that front. Happily, the battery is incredibly good, lasting up to six days on a single charge.

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Smartwatches for women have finally picked up their game

The bottom line is that you can’t go wrong with any of these options. Of course, your final decision will depend on what you’re looking for in a smartwatch. If you want a fashionable wearable that doubles as a fitness tracker, there are plenty of solid choices. We’d certainly love to see more wearables for women hit the market, especially because most smartwatches for women leave a lot to be desired. Nonetheless, these options are a good start. No matter which one you pick, you’ll receive something with a stylish design and an excellent set of features.

Before you make a decision, be sure to think about what you want from your smartwatch. For example, if it’s a feminine design you’re after, you can opt for a smartwatch that is specifically designed with women in mind. On the other hand, if you’re more concerned about finding a watch with a specific set of features, then you may want to choose one of the several unisex options that has everything you need, rolled into one. For more options, check out our list of the overall best Android smartwatches.

With that said, we feel confident naming the Fossil Gen 6 women’s smartwatch as the best smartwatch for women. The eye-catching design is a significant selling point, but there’s a lot under the hood that you’ll also appreciate. This watch has everything you need, from activity and heart-rate tracking to Google Wallet and onboard GPS. Don’t forget about the SD Wear 4100+ chipset, various colors and size options, the external speaker, and the promise of Wear OS 4 upgradability. Plus, this watch is super affordable considering all it has to offer. To put it simply, it’s what smartwatch dreams are made of.