Writer’s note: Amazon’s next Prime Day event is officially scheduled for October 8th and 9th. We’ve already assembled a collection of the best early Prime Day deals for those who want to shop ahead, but keep in mind that expect steeper smartwatch savings during the event.
Technology
Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition leak reveals launch & preorder dates
There has been a lot of talk about the Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition in recent weeks. While it will use the Galaxy Z Fold 6 as a base, there will be some notable differences. The device is expected to bet on thinness to compete against recent foldable smartphones. A new leak has revealed the alleged release date and preorder period of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition.
The Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition, initially known as the Galaxy Z Fold 6 Ultra, was leaked months ago. According to reports, the project went through multiple decision changes along the way, including a potential cancellation. Samsung’s initial idea was to compete against the thinness of foldables like the Honor Magic V3, leaks claim. After failing to achieve this, the company would have decided to cancel the smartphone, but would later resume the project.
Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition would launch on October 18; preorder stage period leaked
Now, unexpectedly, the Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition appeared on the Samsung India website. This is intriguing, as leaks about the phone indicated that it would be coming to limited markets, such as South Korea and China. Markets like India were not on the cards, but that may have changed. The fact that Samsung India’s website promotes the device’s arrival opens the door for other countries that were not in the cards to also receive it.
Plus, the Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition reportedly appeared on the website of T Store, a Korean retailer, showing a launch on October 18 and preorders open until October 24. The company would begin shipping on October 25. Interestingly, the poster incorporates a “6” in the name, despite leaks suggesting it will only be known as “Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition.” You can take it with a pinch of salt, though.
Some expected specs according to leaks
The leaks say that the Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition will feature larger displays. The internal folding screen would grow to 8 inches, while the external screen would reach 6.5 inches. The company would reduce the thickness of the device noticeably to 10.6 when folded (12.1 mm in the Galaxy Z Fold 6) and 4.9 mm when unfolded (5.6 mm in the Galaxy Z Fold 6).
Although Samsung has made an effort to reduce the thickness of the phone, it is still behind other big brands. The latest Google Pixel 9 Fold Pro is slightly thinner (10.5 mm when folded, 5.1 mm when unfolded). The South Korean company can’t compete with the Honor Magic V3, which boasts a thickness of 9.3 mm when unfolded. Anyway, Samsung would debut a technology to enable S-Pen support without a digitizer on the Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition.
Technology
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max vs Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max
It’s time to compare two of the most powerful, large-format Apple flagships, the Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max vs Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max. The latter is the company’s new flagship which launched earlier this month. The iPhone 15 Pro Max arrived about a year ago, and it’s no longer a member of the flagship family, but it carried the torch for a year. With that being said, Apple did not really make huge changes from one generation to the next.
These two phones are different in some ways, however, so it will be interesting to pit them one against the other and see those differences. We do hope that this comparison will help you make a purchasing decision, to decide whether the new model is worth it. We’ll first list their specifications, and go from there. With that being said, let’s get down to it, shall we?
Specs
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max vs Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max, respectively
– Screen size:
6.7-inch Super Retina XDR display with ProMotion (flat, 120Hz, HDR10, 2,000 nits)
6.9-inch LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED ( flat, 120Hz, HDR, 2,000 nits)
– Display resolution:
2796 x 1290
2868 x 1320
– SoC:
Apple A17 Pro
Apple A18 Pro
– RAM:
8GB
– Storage:
256GB/512GB/1TB (NVMe)
– Rear cameras:
48MP (f/1.78 aperture, second-gen sensor-shift OIS), 12MP (ultrawide, f/2.2 aperture, 120-degree FoV, macro photography), 12MP (telephoto, f/2.8 aperture, 5x optical zoom)
48MP (wide, f/1.8 aperture, 1/1.28-inch sensor, 1.22um pixel size, sensor-shift OIS), 48MP (ultrawide, f/2.2 aperture, 0.7um pixel size, PDAF), 12MP (periscope telephoto, f/2.8 aperture, 1/3.06-inch sensor, 1.12um pixel size, 3D sensor-shift OIS, 5x optical zoom).
– Front cameras:
12MP (f/1.9 aperture) + TrueDepth
– Battery:
4,441mAh
4,685mAh
– Charging:
20W wired, 15W wireless (MagSafe & Qi2), 7.5W wireless (Qi), reverse wired charging (charger not included)
38W wired & 25W MagSafe wireless, 15W Qi2 wireless, 7.5W Qi wireless, 5W reverse wired
– Dimensions:
159.9 x 76.7 x 8.25mm
163 x 77.6 x 8.3 mm
– Weight:
221 grams
227 grams
– Connectivity:
5G, LTE, NFC, Wi-Fi, USB Type-C, Bluetooth 5.3
– Security:
Face ID (3D facial scanning)
– OS:
iOS 17 (upgradeable)
iOS 18
– Price:
$1,199+ (discounted now)
$1,199+
– Buy:
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max (Apple)
iPhone 16 Pro Max (Apple)
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max vs Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max: Design
When it comes to the design, many people will be unable to tell one model from the other. They are very, very similar. The easiest way to differentiate them is the Camera Control button on the right. That’s something the iPhone 16 Pro Max has, and its predecessor does not. The bezels are also very slightly thinner on the new model, but that’s not as easy to spot. Other than that, the two models are very difficult to differentiate.
Both are made out of titanium and glass, and they are very similar in terms of size and weight. The iPhone 16 Pro Max does have a slightly larger display, and it’s taller and wider because of it, but the difference is not huge. They are equally thick, while the new model is slightly heavier. They both have flat sides all around, which do curve slightly towards the edges. Their front and back sides are also flat.
You will notice a flat display on both smartphones, with a pill-shaped cutout at the top of the panels. The bezels are both very thin and uniform on both phones, though slightly thinner on the new model. Both smartphones include the volume up and down buttons on the left, along with an Action Button. The power/lock button sits on the right-hand side of both phones, while the new model also has the Camera Control button there.
A Type-C port is present on both phones too. They have identical-looking camera islands on the back. Those are placed in the top-left corner on the back… on both phones. Both devices are IP68-certified for water and dust resistance. Both phones are also very slippery in the hand, so keep that in mind, as getting a case is not a bad idea.
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max vs Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max: Display
The iPhone 15 Pro Max features a 6.7-inch 2796 x 1290 LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED display. That panel is flat, and it supports an adaptive refresh rate of up to 120Hz. HDR10 content is supported here, and the same goes for Dolby Vision. This display goes up to 2,000 nits of brightness at its peak. The display aspect ratio is 19.5:9, while the screen-to-body ratio is at around 89%. The Ceramic Shield glass protects this phone’s display.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max, on the flip side, includes a 6.9-inch 2868 x 1320 LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED display. That panel is also flat, and it also offers an adaptive refresh rate of up to 120Hz. HDR10 content is supported, and so is Dolby Vision. The display brightness goes up to 2,000 nits, while the display aspect ratio is 19.5:9. The screen-to-body ratio is at around 91%. The Ceramic Shield glass protects this panel, a new version of 2024.
These two panels are basically identical, save for the size and the display protection. They look essentially the same, though. They’re bright, vivid, and have great viewing angles. They are also more than sharp enough. The touch response is good, and the refresh rate helps scrolling feel quite smooth, amongst other things, though Apple does lower the refresh rate quite a bit during use, following iOS 18 update. Neither display supports high-frequency PWM dimming, though. Both of them are bright enough, though not the brightest in the industry, not at all.
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max vs Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max: Performance
The Apple A17 Pro SoC fuels the iPhone 15 Pro Max. That is a 3nm processor, and it’s paired with 8GB of RAM and NVMe flash storage. The iPhone 16 Pro Max, on the flip side, is fueled by the Apple A18 Pro chip. That is also a 3nm processor, and it’s paired with 12GB of RAM inside the iPhone 16 Pro Max. Apple also uses NVMe storage inside this smartphone. The new chip is more powerful, but the difference is not that big at all.
Truth be said, you’d be hard-pressed to tell the difference in regards to performance between these two phones. They feel identical to use in a day-to-day basis. They respond pretty much the same to jumping between apps, browsing, messaging, image processing, and so on. They’re both really smooth and a joy to use in that regard. No matter how much you push them, they’re very responsive.
What about gaming? Well, Apple did improve the heat dissipation with the new model, following some initial issues when the iPhone 15 series launched. Aluminum is now thrown into the mix, along with some other changes. You won’t really be able to tell the difference, however. Apple tweaked the SoC on the iPhone 15 Pro Max via an update, and even though the iPhone 16 Pro Max does run cooler, that’s not something most of you will notice. You can play basically whatever game you want on either phone, without a hitch.
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max vs Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max: Battery
The iPhone 15 Pro Max packs in a 4,441mAh battery, while its successor has a 4,685mAh battery. That handset does also include a 0.2-inch larger display, so the battery boost is expected and welcomed. Does that make a difference in terms of battery life? Well, no, not really. From what we’ve seen the battery life is very similar between the two models. The iPhone 16 Pro Max did manage to pull ahead at times, but they’re on the same playing field.
They both offer great battery life, actually. You won’t have to worry about charging either of them during the day, not at all. Even for power users, chances are that both smartphones will be able to make it through the day. Even if you go over the 7-hour screen-on-time mark, that’s not a problem for either phone. They can even go over the 8-hour mark, depending on your use. Most people will have plenty of juice left at the end of the day.
What about charging? Well, the iPhone 15 Pro Max supports 20W wired, 15W MagSafe and Qi2 wireless, 7.5W Qi wireless, and 5W reverse wired charging. The iPhone 16 Pro Max, on the other hand, supports 38W wired, 25W MagSafe wireless, 15W Qi2 wireless, 7.5W Qi wireless, and 5W reverse wired charging. Neither smartphone has a charger in the retail box, however.
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max vs Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max: Cameras
These two phones actually have the same main and periscope telephoto cameras, and the same goes for their front-facing cameras. Their ultrawide shooters do differ, however. A 12-megapixel main camera (1/1.28-inch sensor size) sits on both smartphones. That camera also offers sensor-shift OIS, 1.22um pixel size, and so on. A 12-megapixel periscope telephoto camera (1/3.06-inch sensor size, 5x optical zoom, 3D sensor-shift) is also included on both of these smartphones.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max does come with a considerably improved 48-megapixel ultrawide camera. The iPhone 15 Pro Max has a 12-megapixel ultrawide snapper. The new camera does bring more detailed shots in general, but its main advantage is when it comes to macro photography. This new ultrawide camera is much better in that regard, macro photos really do end up looking great.
The images from the other two cameras are very similar between the two models. Both smartphones do a good job, though they simply love to brighten up the shadows, even during daytime, which ends up images looking a bit flattish at times. The processing is a bit different on the new model, and the images do look a bit more processed in general, for better or worse. Something similar can be said for the periscope telephoto camera performance. Both of them do a fantastic job in general, however, that goes for low-light performance too. There are better offerings out there, though, in our opinion, at least as far as photography is concerned.
Audio
You will find a set of stereo speakers on both of these smartphones. In fact, speakers from these two phones are very, very similar. They are more than loud enough and are actually similar in terms of loudness too. The quality of the output is very good too.
There is no audio jack on either phone, though. You can always use their Type-C ports in order to connect your wired headphones. If that’s not your thing, do note that Bluetooth 5.3 is included on both smartphones, for wireless connectivity.
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Technology
Verizon says its network is ‘fully restored’ following an hours-long outage
Update, September 30, 7:28PM ET: At 7:18PM ET, the company tweeted that its engineers had resolved the issue. The original story, which was updated twice after publish with statements from Verizon, follows.
Verizon mobile customers reported widespread outages across the US on Monday. Starting at around 9:30AM ET, hundreds of thousands of people flagged issues with their mobile service on Downdetector, which tracks user-submitted outage reports. The volume of reports spiked at almost 105,000 at 11:20AM, but were still reaching almost 59,000 at 12:52PM.
Many folks claimed they were unable to make or receive calls or exchange text messages. Those with an iPhone may be seeing “SOS” instead of the usual connection bars on the top right of their screen. That’s a common sight when there’s limited service or none at all. However, affected iPhone users can still make emergency calls via other networks.
A Downdetector heatmap suggested that the issue was most prevalent in New York, New Jersey, Georgia and elsewhere on the east coast and midwest. A narrow yellow band of reports was also emerging on the west coast as of 1:10PM ET. along with an intensifying heat spot in Los Angeles.
We are aware of an issue impacting service for some customers. Our engineers are engaged and we are working quickly to identify and solve the issue.
— Verizon News (@VerizonNews) September 30, 2024
Verizon confirmed that service was affected for some customers. “Our engineers are engaged and we are working quickly to solve the issue,” the company wrote on X at 11:48AM. The cause of the outage is not yet clear.
As of 3:45PM ET, Verizon had yet to provide an update on the outage via X. User outage reports were still flooding into Downdetector, however, with almost 48,000 of them at 3:10PM.
At 5:04PM ET, the company tweeted that “service has started to be restored,” and Downdetector reports of outages had dipped below 30,000.
Verizon engineers are making progress on our network issue and service has started to be restored. We know how much people rely on Verizon and apologize for any inconvenience some of our customers experienced today. We continue to work around the clock to fully resolve this…
— Verizon News (@VerizonNews) September 30, 2024
At 7:18PM ET, the company tweeted that its engineers had “fully restored today’s network disruption.” The number of reports of an outage on Downdetector had dropped below 3,500. There has still been no word from the company on what caused the outage.
Verizon engineers have fully restored today’s network disruption that impacted some customers. Service has returned to normal levels. If you are still having issues, we recommend restarting your device. We know how much people rely on Verizon and apologize for any inconvenience.…
— Verizon News (@VerizonNews) September 30, 2024
Servers computers
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Technology
Y Combinator is being criticized after it backed an AI startup that admits it basically cloned another AI startup
A Y Combinator startup named PearAI launched with an X post thread and YouTube video on Saturday and created immediate controversy. And some of that is splashing onto YC itself.
PearAI offers an AI coding editor. The startup’s founder Duke Pan has openly said that it’s a cloned copy of another AI editor called Continue, which was covered under the Apache open source license. But PearAI made a major misstep: PearAI originally slapped its own made-up closed license on it, called the Pear Enterprise License, which Pan admitted was written by ChatGPT.
Changing a license like this is a big deal in the open source world. Not only are there legalities involved in violating a software license, but it defeats the whole purpose of open source, which is about community building, sharing, and contributing. In an apology PearAI’s Pan posted on Monday, he said that the project has now been released under the same Apache open source license as the original project.
The launch thread went viral with thousands of comments by Sunday. Some were congratulatory, but others were vicious in pointing out the licensing and the fact that PearAI wasn’t so much a fork with new stuff added, but a replica with a new name. Pan admitted as much in his apology.
So many angry comments were made on Pan’s launch thread that X put a community note on it that read: “Pear is a fork of Continue.dev, an open-source AI code editor. PearAI used Continue.dev’s code and mass-replaced all references to ‘Continue’ to ‘PearAI’ to mislead people into believing that they built this product on their own.”
This note wasn’t accurate, either. PearAI did say in some of its materials that the project was a clone (also known as a fork) of Continue as well as the original project that Continued used, VSCode. X subsequently removed that note.
Pan apologized for how hard it was to find that information, too. He said that one way he and his cofounder, Nang Ang, “screwed up, critically, was not being clear enough about this … doing so upon a fork of others’ work without many new features, and talking about it so publicly online, made it look like we were stealing the work of others as our own.”
On Sunday, Continue jumped in with by posting a subtle threat that it was “ecstatic to see the ecosystem that has formed around us. But open source can’t be taken for granted—it is a movement built on trust, and on respect for contributions, licenses, and intellectual property.”
Y Combinator CEO Garry Tan got involved, too. He defended PearAI with several tweets. “Don’t understand why people are dragging a new project when literally it’s open source Apache license and that’s *the reason* why open source is awesome” one read. As you might imagine, people pointed out that it was changed to an Apache license after the uproar.
There were other reasons this project caught ire. Pan boasted how he “just quit my 270 000$ job at Coinbase” to do this startup, even though this was about as far from an original idea as a startup can get. In addition to Continue, another big competitor is Cursor.
On top of that, YC has funded two other AI code editors already, Void and Melty, as the mob was quick to point out. To which Tan replied on X, “More choice is good, people building is good, if you don’t like it don’t use it.”
Others criticized YC for selecting PearAI into its cohort at all. Blogger Sven Schnieders wrote that PearAI is an example of the “the decline of YC” because it accepted a company that is “nothing more than a codebase copied from another YC-backed company.”
On Hacker News, the site for programmers owned by YC, a commenter wrote that the debacle “says more about YC than this particular founder (lots of these types nowadays): i.e. their process, their due diligence.” Another wrote, “Is it typical for VC to just throw money at projects without any sort of oversight/auditing of, oh jeez, IDK, Licensing/Legal issues?”
YC’s plans to double from two cohorts a year to four isn’t likely to ease this perception, or this risk.
The whole uproar probably says as much about how eager all VCs are to fund AI startups as it does about YC’s love of this particular ilk of them.
Tan could not be immediately reached for comment. PearAI did not have further comment.
Technology
The seven best Android smartwatches in 2024
After a long stretch of slim pickings, the last couple of years have been huge for Android smartwatches. Now there are more good options than ever.
But this is still a transitional era. While we’re encouraged by the stronger third-party app options, the market is still fragmented. Wear OS 5 is here for Samsung’s Galaxy Watches and the Pixel Watch 3. However, the larger ecosystem is still catching up. Some features, like Google Assistant, are not yet available on certain Wear OS 3 smartwatches, and Wear OS 4 still isn’t widely available. Even so, the Android wearable ecosystem is barreling ahead.
If you’d rather wait until Wear OS settles down a bit, there are platform-agnostic smartwatches and fitness watches you can buy in the meantime. Otherwise, you’ll want to be aware of the chip and Wear OS version powering your watch. Mobvoi, for instance, took forever rolling out Wear OS 3 to its eligible Wear OS 2 watches. It just announced rollout for Wear OS 4. Speaking of Mobvoi, its TicWatch Pro 5 was the first to sport the new Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 Plus in the US, and while it’s a great watch, you may want to wait until there are more W5 Plus watches to choose from. That said, the base W5 chip is also pretty good. The Pixel Watch 3 and OnePlus Watch 2 both sport the W5 and have notably better performance and battery life.
So long as you keep the aforementioned caveats in mind, Android users have more smartwatch options than ever before. I’ve rounded up my top picks, but if none of these is the right fit, you can always check out our fitness tracker buying guide.
Best smartwatch for Samsung phones
Sizes: 43mm, 47mm / Weight: 77g, 85g / Battery life: Up to 30 hours with AOD, 40 without AOD / Display type: Always-on OLED / GPS: Built-in GPS / Connectivity: LTE (optional), Bluetooth, Wi-Fi / Water resistance: Up to 50 meters, IP68 / Music storage: 16GB
If you have a Samsung phone, you’ll get the most mileage out of a Samsung smartwatch. And of the four watches Samsung has in its current lineup, I recommend the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic. Although Samsung just released the Galaxy Watch 7, there wasn’t a refresh for the Classic. That means you ought to be seeing some good deals for the Classic soon, if not already. It’s not often that I recommend a last-gen device, but such is my deep love for the physical rotating bezel.
But, if you want the latest and greatest, the Galaxy Watch 7 offers an upgraded 3nm Exynos W1000 chip and a new 3-in-1 BioActive Sensor. It’s a marginal improvement over last year’s models, but I don’t feel like Samsung introduced anything this year that requires having them. It also has Wear OS 5 and One UI 6 Watch, but that’ll eventually make its way back to the older watches, too. Mostly, I recommend the 7 if you prefer a smaller size, don’t care about the rotating bezel, and want something a smidge more futureproof.
The Classic’s rotating bezel is 15 percent thinner than the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic. The updated design is sleeker than its predecessor, and the larger display is easier on the eyes and is only slightly bigger at 43mm and 47mm. I have small wrists, but the 47mm was still quite comfortable for everyday wear. It’s launching with Wear OS 4, which adds extended battery life, and — finally — cloud backups. One UI 5 Watch also adds some minor health and sleep tracking improvements, but this will eventually make its way to older models. While I prefer the Classic, the base Watch 6 model may be the better option if you want a smaller, lighter, sleeker, and cheaper smartwatch.
For more outdoorsy folks, the $649.99 Galaxy Watch Ultra might be the more sensible choice. Of all Samsung’s watches, it has the best battery life, lasting around three days in our testing. (Though, we never got the full 100-hour estimated battery life.) It’s got dual-frequency GPS, a new multisport activity, an emergency siren, increased durability, 10ATM of water resistance, and a Quick Button, which acts as a customizable shortcut button. It’s basically an Apple Watch Ultra for Android.
Meanwhile, if you’re on a budget, there’s the new $199.99 Galaxy Watch FE, which is essentially a rebadged Galaxy Watch 4.
The Samsung Health app also delivers a good overall fitness tracking experience, especially since you can enable turn-by-turn navigation for hiking and cycling activities. We weren’t too impressed with nightly SpO2 readings, but Samsung’s overall sleep tracking continues to improve. You also get built-in GPS, body composition analysis, irregular heart rate notifications, fall detection, emergency SOS features, and EKGs. Most recently, Samsung’s added a new Energy score, AI-powered wellness insights, FDA-cleared sleep apnea detection, and a confusing AGEs Index metric for metabolic health. While the Energy score is broadly accurate, I found the AI-generated features to be hit or miss and the AGEs Index to be more gimmicky than useful. The latter feature is also limited to the Galaxy Watch 7 and Ultra.
We don’t necessarily recommend the Galaxy Watches if you don’t have a Samsung phone. EKGs and sleep apnea detection require the Samsung Health Monitor app, which is limited to Samsung phones. You can work around it, but all Samsung watches work best with other Samsung devices.
Best Android smartwatch for non-Samsung users
Sizes: 41mm, 45mm / Weight: 31g for 41mm, 37g for 45mm / Battery life: Roughly 24 hours with AOD enabled / Display type: Always-on OLED / GPS: Built-in GPS / Connectivity: LTE (optional), Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Safety Signal with Fitbit Premium / Water resistance: 5ATM / Music storage: 32GB
The $349.99 Google Pixel Watch 3 is done playing catch-up. It’s an annoying truth that if you have a Samsung phone, a Samsung smartwatch is probably the best choice for you. However, for everyone else, I highly recommend the Pixel Watch 3.
There are several updates to the Pixel Watch 3, but the gist is that it’s a more refined watch that also expands into new territory. One major update this year is that there are now two sizes: 41mm and 45mm. You get extra screen real estate on the larger watch, but the bezels are also smaller on the 41mm model this year. (If you’re trying to pick between sizes, I prefer the 45mm.) The displays are brighter as well, ranging from a minimum of 1 nit to a maximum of 2,000 nits.
Health and fitness also get several updates, especially for runners. There’s a new Cardio Load metric that gauges the cardiovascular intensity of the exercises you’ve been doing over a set period of time. It’s similar to Garmin’s Training Load metric. You’re also given a Cardio Load target based on your fitness goals, readiness, and current activity. Runners also get a new dashboard full of form analysis metrics as well as the ability to program custom workouts. In addition, you can get AI-generated suggested workouts. And if you’re in Europe, the Pixel Watch 3 can now detect if you no longer have a pulse and call emergency services.
The Pixel Watch 3 also adds a bunch of nifty Google integrations. It’s excellent if you have a Google-powered smart home because you can now directly view and interact with your Nest Doorbell or camera feeds. You can also use the watch as a remote for your Google TV, and there are new Google Home Tile / complications that make controlling your home from your wrist a breeze. Also new this year are offline Google Maps, the ability to unlock Pixel phones, and a Call Assist feature that lets a caller know you need an extra minute to pick up your phone.
That said, while the Pixel Watch was initially framed as a watch for any Android phone, several updates this time around mean you’ll get the best experience with a Pixel phone. But compared to Samsung, there isn’t quite as much lock-in. Health features, for example, are available to everyone so long as you have a Fitbit account. Extra good news: Google removed certain metrics, like the Daily Readiness Score, from the Fitbit Premium paywall. Mostly, the features locked to Pixel phones are things like the ability to unlock your phone with the watch and use of the Recorder app.
One thing to be mindful of is durability. While the domed display is beautiful, we cracked the screen on the original Pixel Watch and got deep scratches on the Pixel Watch 2. (Thankfully, we haven’t messed up the Pixel Watch 3.) Google doesn’t offer any repair options, but you can get the Preferred Care extended warranty if you want to be prepared should something happen. It’s not ideal since it’s limited to the US and Canada, but it’s a step in the right direction.
Best alternative to Google and Samsung smartwatches
Sizes: 47mm with 22mm straps / Weight: 49g case, 80g with strap / Battery life: Up to 100 hours in smart mode, 48 with AOD on, and 12 days in power-saving mode / Display type: OLED touchscreen / GPS: Dual-frequency GPS, Beidou, GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, QZSS / Connectivity: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi / Water resistance: 5ATM / Music storage: 32GB
The $299.99 OnePlus Watch 2 is what a glow-up looks like. While the original OnePlus Watch was horrible, this watch helps fill the void that Fossil left when it said it was pulling out of Android smartwatches — namely, a viable alternative to Google and Samsung.
The 47mm case is big for petite wrists, and unfortunately, it only comes in one size, but it’s made of durable stainless steel and sapphire crystal. Plus, it houses a 500mAh battery. That, plus a dual-chip architecture and novel dual OS system, results in super long battery life. How long a smartwatch lasts will of course depend on your individual usage, but I got nearly four days with normal use. That’s incredible for a flagship.
It also has Wear OS 4, making it the only third-party Wear OS watch running the latest software. It has Google Assistant from the get-go — a big achievement since that’s been a problem with other third-party Android watches. Plus, you get access to the Google Play Store for a robust app ecosystem. On the fitness side of things, OnePlus added dual-frequency GPS. That’s a plus if you’re outdoorsy and frequent challenging GPS environments like dense forests or crowded cities.
The main things you’re giving up are LTE connectivity and some features like EKGs, atrial fibrillation detection, native period tracking, and fall detection. The lack of cellular is a bummer, as it means you really should keep your phone on you when you’re out and about. Still, the $300 price tag is a competitive one and may be worth the tradeoff given battery life.
Best fitness smartwatch for Android
Sizes: 50mm with 24mm straps / Weight: 44.3g / Battery life: Up to 80 hours / Display type: OLED touchscreen and secondary ultra-low power display / GPS: GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, Beidou / Connectivity: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi / Water resistance: 5ATM / Music storage: 32GB
Mobvoi’s TicWatch lineup has its devoted fans for a reason: super long battery life. The $249.99 TicWatch Pro 5 is no exception. It’s got an estimated 80 hours of battery life with standard use, a secondary ultra-low power display, and a massive (for a smartwatch you wear on your wrist, at least) 628mAh battery. I didn’t quite get 80 hours in my testing, but I did get a solid 48-60 hours even with heavy GPS use. That outclasses most of the watches in this category (except the OnePluS Watch 2) and is useful for backpackers and endurance athletes. It might not hold a candle to a top-of-the-line Garmin, but it’s also a smarter watch for a fraction of the price.
Battery life aside, the Pro 5 is a good option for fitness-focused people who aren’t keen on giving up smart capabilities for a Garmin or Polar. It’s also more durable. This time around, Mobvoi has also added a digital crown so you don’t have to worry about scrolling through menus with sweaty fingers. The flatter side button also reduces the risk of accidental presses.
The Pro 5 also has an ingenious method of displaying heart rate. When you lift up your arm, the backlight changes color depending on which heart rate zone you’re in. That means you can instantly gauge whether to up the intensity or slow your roll. The Pro 5 also adds new training metrics, like VO2 Max and recovery time.
The TicWatch supports stress tracking, all-day blood oxygen monitoring, fatigue assessments, as well as atrial fibrillation and irregular heartbeat detection. For outdoorsy types, it also has access to multiple GNSS systems, and there’s a new barometer and compass app, as well as a one-tap measurement app that gives you a quick look at five metrics (heart rate, blood oxygen, stress, respiratory rate, and overall heart health).
It’s also pretty capable on the productivity front. You get contactless payments, access to the Play Store, notifications, and the ability to take calls. It’s also the only Android smartwatch available in the US with the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 Plus chip, which is a plus in terms of futureproofing. The only major concerns are the 50mm case that may not suit smaller wrists and the lack of a digital assistant.
And good news! Mobvoi just announced that Wear OS 4 is rolling out this month.
Best hybrid smartwatch
Sizes: 37mm with 18mm straps / Weight: 45g / Battery life: Up to 39 days / Display type: OLED display / GPS: Tethered GPS / Connectivity: Bluetooth / Water resistance: 5ATM / Music storage: N/A
Hybrid smartwatches are an excellent way to keep things simple and subtle. The $249.95 Withings ScanWatch Light gets you the basics like push notifications, timers, and alarms. On the health front, you can track steps, sleep, menstrual cycles, and GPS workouts. (That said, GPS is tethered from your phone, not built in.) The design reminds me of a classier Swatch, particularly if you get the more colorful options in a minty green or pale blue. But the big reason the Light has dethroned our previous pick, the Garmin Vivomove Sport, is its extra-long battery life. Withings estimates it lasts up to 30 days on a single charge, and I got pretty close to that in testing with 25 days. Despite the Vivomove’s more appealing $180 price tag, it only lasts about five days.
If you want a bit more out of a hybrid, you can also opt for the ScanWatch 2. It’s an extra $100, but you get EKGs and atrial fibrillation detection, temperature sensors, SpO2 readings, and an altimeter for measuring elevation. It also looks a bit more elegant on the wrist, partly because of a secondary dial that tracks your daily step progress.
If neither matches your style, the Vivomove Sport is still a good option that gets you access to Garmin’s in-depth platform. Its Vivomove Trend is a slightly more upscale option that also supports Qi charging.
Best platform-agnostic fitness smartwatch
Sizes: 41mm with 18mm straps; 45mm with 22mm straps / Weight: 40g for the 3S; 47g for the 3 / Battery life: Up to 10 days for 3S; 14 days for 3 / Display type: OLED touchscreen / GPS: GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO / Connectivity: Bluetooth, Ant Plus, Wi-Fi / Water resistance: 5ATM / Music storage: 8GB
Garmin is best known for making rugged GPS watches that have excellent fitness features but aren’t so smart otherwise. But the $449.99 Venu 3 caters to people who want top-notch fitness tracking without sacrificing productivity features.
It’s got a colorful and vibrant always-on OLED display and comes in two sizes: 41mm and 45mm. Like its predecessor, the Venu 2 Plus, it also has a microphone and speaker so you can take and make calls directly from the wrist. It also has a clever workaround for digital assistants — it uses Bluetooth to work with whatever assistant is already on your phone. You’d think more fitness trackers would do this, but they don’t. It worked well in testing, though digital assistants aren’t always the smartest at understanding commands.
The Venu 3 doesn’t have the best third-party app ecosystem, but it has Spotify, Deezer, and Amazon Music for offline playback. Android users can also send quick responses for texts, and the watch works with either iOS or Android for folks who want to keep their options open. It also has fall detection, live tracking, and contactless payments.
As for health features, it has Garmin’s latest heart rate sensor, which enables its FDA-cleared EKG app to detect atrial fibrillation. Otherwise, you get built-in GPS, continuous heart rate monitoring, all of the advanced coaching features in the Garmin Connect app, and Garmin’s famous in-depth health data. The Venu 3 also improves sleep tracking with nap detection and adds audio-guided meditation sessions. There’s also a new wheelchair mode.
This isn’t the most hardcore Garmin that money can buy, but it’s definitely the smartest. The price is a bit high compared to most smartwatches, but by Garmin standards, it’s middle-of-the-pack.
Best budget Android smartwatch
Size: 46mm with 22mm straps / Weight: 34g / Battery life: Up to 14 days / Display type: OLED touchscreen / GPS: Dual-frequency and 6 GNSS systems / Connectivity: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi / Water resistance: 5ATM / Music storage: 2.3GB
Amazfit’s made a name for itself making budget wearables that punch far above their weight. I’ve been consistently impressed by the GTR line of smartwatches over the years, and the $199.99 GTR 4 is no exception.
Not only does it have a classic look, but you also get 14 days of battery life and a color, always-on OLED display. New to the GTR 4 is dual-band GPS — a feature that Apple and Garmin only recently introduced to their higher-end smartwatches. Or, if you like to plan your own trail runs or hikes, you can import your own GPS routes, too. It tracks 150 sports and features all-day continuous heart rate monitoring. You can also monitor stress, sleep, and SpO2 levels. For smart features, you can take calls on the wrist, and it has two digital assistants: Alexa and a proprietary offline assistant. The device also syncs with Strava and Adidas Running.
The GTR 4 isn’t the best smartwatch around. Flagship watches can do everything the GTR 4 can do but in a sleeker, more polished package. However, they can’t do it at this price. If price is your main priority, this gets you incredible bang for your buck. Plus, you can frequently find Amazfit devices on sale. The icing on the cake is it works just as well on Android as it does on iOS.
Update, September 30: Adjusted prices and availability. Also added a note about Amazon’s fall Prime Day event.
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