There is no denying that smartwatches have enjoyed a tremendous rise in popularity in recent years, and it’s easy to see why.
From basic applications like text and email messaging to active health features that may very well save your life, modern smartwatches can incorporate some pretty interesting apps and functionalities.
Unlike traditional watches, these devices don’t always come at an affordable price, even though tech companies make major strides every day toward reducing their overall cost and availability.
This article delves into what the market has to offer at the moment to find out what is the best smartwatch under $5,000 and what features we should look for when making a purchase.
Top 5 Best Smartwatches Under $5,000
When choosing the best smartwatch under $5,000, you may feel overwhelmed with the sheer amount of choices. To make your life easier, we’ve narrowed down the options for you.
1. Apple Watch Series 7 GPS + Cellular
The Series 7 from Apple is not just a state-of-the-art Apple Watch but one of thebest smartwatches the market has to offer right now.
Among its many ingenious features, we find an activity tracker function, a heart rate monitor, a sleep monitor feature, and even the ability to monitor your blood oxygen.
On top of all that, it also allows you to stream music, podcasts, and audiobooks on the go, as well as the capacity to pair it with a multitude of smart devices.
This is also a very subtle and nice watch to look at. Then again, Apple has a long history of designing aesthetically pleasing devices of all sizes.
Features:
- An elegant graphite stainless steel case with graphite Milanese implements
- Large and easy-to-read screen (41 millimeters)
- GPS and cellular functionality
- Boasts a crack-resistant front crystal construction
Pros
- Very long battery life
- Has a sleep tracking feature
- Always-on retina display increases accessibility
- Certified IP6X dust resistant
Cons
- Apple devices require proprietary power connectors
The Apple Watch Series 7 is the most advanced commercial smartwatch ever made to date. In many ways, it represents a staple of what smartwatches should aspire to be.
2. Garmin Fenix 6X Pro Premium Multisport GPS Watch
With the Garmin Fenix 6x Pro, you get both a high-end smartwatch and a running mate in an all-inclusive package that uses some of the best health monitoring technology out there.
The Fenix stands out through its activity tracking, enhanced wrist heart rate, and smart notifications.
It also includes revolutionary concepts like vertical oscillation and ground contact time to help you optimize your workouts as much as possible.
What’s more, despite its compact form, this ingenious watch provides days of battery life with each charge, even if the charging cycle hasn’t been fully completed.
Features:
- Tough and durable belt
- The 1.4-inch screen makes it easy to read
- Comes with a watch and chest strap
- Bluetooth and wireless connectivity
Pros
- Has a built-in GPS feature
- A nearly 9,000-hour battery life
- Packs preloaded TOPO maps for winter activities
- Records real-time heart rate measurements
Cons
- Cell coverage could be better
This is by far one of the best smartwatches to get if you’re interested in long battery life. Furthermore, its fitness tracking capabilities are pretty top-notch.
3. Apple Watch SE
With the Apple Watch SE, you can stay connected to people even when you don’t have your phone at the ready.
What’s great about Apple smartwatches is that they can be relied upon to stream at a steady and consistent rate, which is precisely what this particular model does.
Furthermore, the watch enables you to take calls and reply to texts with relative ease, which is definitely something you want from a modern smartwatch in this day and age.
We should also point out that the watch benefits from an always-on display that makes it very convenient when you’re on the move.
Features:
- A silver aluminum case that makes it stylish and sturdy
- The 40-millimeter screen size allows for perfect visibility
- Interchangeable bands for a quick shift in aesthetics
- Water-resistant for up to 50 meters ISO
Pros
- Sleep app allows for advanced sleep monitoring
- Features an emergency SOS and fall detection feature for added health and safety
- You can take calls, send texts, and stream music without using a phone
- Allows you to track your daily activity and workouts
Cons
- The latex band can get a bit uncomfortable for people with sensitive skin
Apple knows exactly what people want, and the SE model exemplifies this. Given its current popularity, you can expect future Apple watches to emulate this particular model to some degree.
4. Fossil Men’s Gen 5E
This is undoubtedly one of the best affordable smartwatches on the market right now. Not necessarily specs-wise, but it is highly reliable and accessible.
For instance, it works equally well with both Android phones and iOS devices with virtually no limitations to speak of.
Packed with some top-notch smart features like automatic activity tracking and hundreds of useful apps to choose from, the Fossil Men’s Gen 5E is one of the best smartwatches you can get in this price range.
Know that despite its simplistic look, the watch incorporates heart rate monitoring functions and other health and fitness features to choose from.
Features:
- Black silicone construction adds to its ergonomic design
- A 44-millimeter touchscreen bolsters visibility
- It has a fairly loud incorporated speaker
- Sturdy build with tear-resistant strap
Pros
- Can be used to make contactless payments
- Features a wide array of smartphone notifications
- Works reasonably well with both Android and iOS devices
- Its always-on display has plenty of watch faces to choose from
Cons
- The backside feels cheap to the touch
Given its many ingenious features, this is perhaps one of the best budget smartwatches you can get at this point in time.
5. SUUNTO SUUNTO7 Smart Watch GPS
This is a sports watch in the true sense of the word. It incorporates a host of fitness-oriented features, including a blood pressure gauge and several sports modes.
Unlike cheap smartwatches that promise a lot yet fail to deliver, the SUUNTO7 arguably justifies the extra buck with some truly ingenious features.
Among them, over 70 sports modes to choose from, including step tracking, heart rate monitoring, running heatmaps, and cycling schedules for good measure.
In many ways, the watch combines a versatile sports experience with outdoor exploration and conventional smartwatch features, all in a singular, feature-packed smart device.
Features:
- A 50-millimeter screen with an easy-to-read display
- Bluetooth smart connectivity
- Glass fiber reinforced polyamide construction
- High quality tear-resistant adjustable strap
Pros
- Features a GPS with plenty of subsystems
- Incorporates free offline outdoor maps
- Has a wrist heart rate and several health tracking features
- It can help you schedule your exercises with fitness-oriented apps
Cons
- The charging process could be faster
Although not one of the industry-leading smartwatch brands out there, the SUUNTO7 delivers on all fronts without compromising on specs, durability, or comfort.
What to Look For in a Good Smartwatch
Although most smartwatches tend to incorporate similar features and functionalities, you have to understand that they’re not all built to meet the same standards.
This is as true for cheap smartwatches as it is for the best smartwatch under $5,000 we talked about, so you are advised to take your time and educate yourself on the specifics before committing to a purchase.
Health-Oriented Apps Are a Must-Have
You can tell how advanced a smartwatch is by the quality of its supported applications. Among them, none are more useful than health and fitness-oriented features that help you keep track of your daily schedule.
In recent years, we have gotten used to smartwatches incorporating sleep tracking features along with sleep monitor apps to help people optimize their sleeping patterns.
It isn’t just the sleep quality that these features can help improve but fitness schedules, workout intensity, diet planning, and even heart rate monitoring.
Straps Are Essential for Comfort and Mobility
While most watches used leather or faux leather straps in the old days, industry standards have evolved a lot since.
Silicone straps, for example, are among the most popular high-end smartwatch straps available. Although comfortable, the only problem is that these straps are susceptible to wear and tear in warm weather conditions.
Leather and metallic straps are also fairly common, and it’s easy to see why. Sturdy, reliable, and relatively comfortable, leather has always been the go-to choice of wristwatch manufacturers, and the trend passed on to smartwatches, especially the cheap options.
A Long Battery Life
A decent smartwatch should allow you to operate the device at optimal parameters for at least a couple of days on a single charge.
For the most part, the charging process should take no longer than two hours for a full charge, regardless of how the watch is built or what you’re using it for.
If anything, a stylish smartwatch should employ a much better battery than your average fitness tracker that people use to monitor their daily workouts.
Reliable Smartphone Integration
It is paramount for a good smartwatch to efficiently pair with any smartphone, regardless of its proprietary software.
As such, your smartwatch should show phone notifications and give you a certain amount of control over the phone through the watch itself.
Lacking more advanced features, the watch should at least allow you to respond to texts and emails, along with the capacity to answer/decline phone calls.
Provided you don’t own an Apple Watch that’s specifically designed on the iOS platform, it should handle both Android and iOS integration depending on what type of phone you own.
Display Technology and Visibility
In regards to display technology, smartwatches can employ LCD, AMOLED, or OLED displays, each with its own particularities.
Among them, basic smartwatches still tend to use LCD screens, which isn’t exactly cutting-edge technology by modern standards.
We then have AMOLED screens that greatly improve upon LCD displays’ limitations, albeit with poor visibility when it’s too sunny outside. You can expect cheaper smartwatches to make use of these screens throughout the low-end part of the price spectrum.
The OLED, on the other hand, represents the industry standard for excellent smartwatches and pretty much any device made by reputable manufacturers.
Water, Dust, and Scratch Resistance
As sensitive as some smartwatches might be, you still have to go about your daily business without having to worry that your fancy watch might suffer some unexpected damage on account of its sleek design.
The Ingress Protection (IP) rating is commonly used to measure the level of protection of any electronic device against liquid or solid damage.
If you can, look for a watch that registers an IP67 or IP68 rating because it refers to how well the watch handles dust or any other impurities.
You shouldn’t expect it from budget options, but a decent smartwatch should maintain optimal functionality even when submerged 1.5 meters underwater.
FAQs
Is the GPS Function Important in a Smartwatch?
Absolutely. You will find that most high-end smartwatches have built-in GPS capabilities, not just for tracking the user’s daily routine but also for health and safety reasons.
What Kind of Construction Should a Decent Smartwatch Have?
Looking at the best-sellers out there, we notice quite the pattern regarding metallic and metal-based watches. This trend passed on from traditional watches when watches had to withstand the full brunt of most daily activities.
Does Price Determine Quality in a Smartwatch?
As with most things, you can get a pretty good idea about the overall quality of a smartwatch, judging by the price tag alone. Bear in mind that you should still aim towards buying from reputable brands regardless of price.
Are Straps Really That Important?
Think of it this way: would you like your watch to slip off your wrist the first time you do any labor-intensive task? On a related note, look out for smartwatches with replaceable straps to address any allergies or personal preferences people might have.
All Things Considered
Whether you’re buying the best smartwatch under $5,000 or an average fitness smartwatch to help optimize your workouts, you should always educate yourself on what the market has to offer before committing to a purchase.
At the end of the day, the choice should really come down to personal preference.
Try as you might, it’ll be rather difficult to separate the top performers in the high-end part of the price spectrum, so the final choice should be made according to how comfortable, durable, and aesthetically pleasing the watch is.
