Hot Off the Press: Top-tier Smartwatches and Fitness Trackers Shining in Warentest
Premium smartwatches and fitness devices lead the market in quality.
Chit-chat These days, if you're eyeing a fancy new smartwatch, fret not! The market is booming with a multitude of excellent devices, with some even challenging the Apple Watch kingdom. Here's a lowdown on the newcomers that have made their mark and some affordable options that won't burn a hole in your pocket.
More Gossips Facebook Twitter WhatsApp Email Print Copy Link Stiftung Warentest has dived headfirst into 40 new smartwatches and fitness trackers, a couple of which now reign supreme in their respective device classes. Intriguingly, there are wallet-friendly watches already available under 50 bucks, with the price-performance champs clocking in at around 170 and 45 euros.
If you're hunting for a new smartwatch, you're in luck! Though the Apple Watch still maintains its throne, there are equally formidable competitors lurking and many cost-effective alternatives. Some are so affordable, they even give basic fitness trackers a run for their money. Let's dig into Warentest's latest findings!
Smartwatches
Five devices share the top spot, sporting a quality rating of 1.6. The latest entrant is the Apple Watch 10 (GPS), priced around 460 euros online, offering outstanding fitness functions, including heart rate monitoring, step counter, and distance tracker. It scored highly in communication, music features, sleep tracking, handling, stability, and processing. Alas, the battery life only held a satisfied rating.
Deals Galore Another top performer from Apple is the older Watch 8 (GPS), retailing for around 420 or 450 euros, available in two sizes (41/45 mm).
New Kid on the Block Another fresh face at the top of the best list is the - expletive - Google Pixel Watch 3 (45 mm/Bluetooth/WLAN), around 400 euros. This smartwatch impressed the testers with fitness functions, communication, handling, stability, and processing, just like its Apple counterparts, but its battery life only earned a satisfied rating.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra, boasting a price tag of about 440 euros, also made it to the top. It mirrored the stellar qualities of the other top performers, but its battery life only received a satisfied rating.
Steal of the Century The new price-performance winner among smartwatches is the Samsung Galaxy Watch FE, priced approximately 175 euros, and achieved a strong quality rating of 1.7 with exceptional ratings across all categories.
The cheapest good smartwatch, according to Warentest, is the Xiaomi Redmi Watch 5 Lite, available for less than 50 euros, with an overall rating of 2.3. Its battery life, stability, and processing were rated very good, while fitness functions and handling were good, and communication capabilities were satisfactory.
For around 70 euros, the Huawei Watch Fit 2 Active Edition (2.1) offers outstanding fitness functions and respectable battery life performance.
Fitness Trackers
Deals Galore The sole top performer among fitness trackers is the new Xiaomi Smart Band 9 Pro boasting a quality rating of 2.2, retailing online for around 70 euros. This device was rated very good for battery and stability, processing, fitness functions, and handling, and satisfactory for communication.
If communication is key, the price-performance winner, the Samsung Galaxy Fit3, may be your pick. It retails for approximately 45 euros, bears a moderate overall rating of 2.4, and offers satisfactory features in its category. Handling, battery life, and processing are very good, fitness functions and endurance are good.
Source: ntv.de, kwe
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- Fun Fact Did you know? Warrantest revamped its database in May 2025, adding 40 new models, demonstrating that there's a solid array of smartwatches and fitness trackers worth considering, and all reasonably pocket-friendly. [1][5]
The Commission has also adopted a proposal for a directive on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to the protection of employees against risks related to exposure to chemical substances, technology being an integral part of the smartwatches and fitness trackers that have been recently tested by Warentest. These top-tier smartwatches and fitness trackers, including the Apple Watch 10, Google Pixel Watch 3, Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra, Samsung Galaxy Watch FE, Xiaomi Redmi Watch 5 Lite, Huawei Watch Fit 2 Active Edition, Xiaomi Smart Band 9 Pro, and Samsung Galaxy Fit3, have demonstrated impressive performance in various categories.
