Watches: six alternatives to the Apple smartwatch

Revamped software, strong battery life and good fitness features make this one of the best Android compatible smartwatches for the money. Compatible with all Android phones, but you need a Samsung to access all the features, which include ECG and blood-pressure measurements and even a sensor to measure your body fat percentage. Lasts up to three days fully charged.

samsung.com

If you choose a Fitbit watch, chances are you’re all about the fitness tracking. Lightweight and water resistant with GPS that lets you track real-time pace and distance with the phone left at home. Battery lasts almost a week and the large screen gives easy readouts mid-workout. Can monitor blood oxygen levels while you sleep. Not the most sophisticated heart monitor, but you do still get a lot for £199.

fitbit.com

No guesses what the focus is for this one, packed with features to help track your time as you run yourself fit. Not only does it tell you how well you’re doing, but also suggests routes tailored to you. Lightweight and water resistant, it can receive texts and alerts, but needs to be paired with a smartphone. Battery will last for up to two weeks.

garmin.com

The first smartwatch to run Huawei’s much touted HarmonyOS operating system. Super smooth to use, with market leading voice controls. Not nearly as many apps as Apple, so Huawei hardware awaits the arrival of additional software. Sleep and oxygen saturation monitoring. Can make calls independently of your smartphone and you can use gestures to accept or mute incoming calls.

huawei.com

A few years back when TAG Heuer said that it was launching a smartwatch it was close to pandemonium in the luxury watch world. It was the first of the proper old brands to take the techy leap. But as TAG gladly tells us, buyers of its Connected series also own mechanical watches. Running Android software, this Bright Black edition has a DLC-sandblasted titanium case.

tagheuer.com

From the Chinese firm Mobvoi, this runs on Android as a direct competitor to the Samsung Galaxy. Twin display offers a low power mode that’ll make the battery last up to 45 days. But engage smart features like the GPS 24-hour heart rate and blood oxygen monitoring and you’ll have to charge it every day or so. Access to Google Assistant and third party apps. With Google Pay for contactless payments.

mobvoi.com