Having a smartphone today without an accompanying smartwatch feels incomplete. Although smartwatches are a recent trend, the benefits that come along with owning one makes it a worthy purchase. Unfortunately, most people still don’t understand the usefulness, functionality, and features of the smartwatch. To help understand everything you need to know about a smartwatch, we are offering a comprehensive buying guide with key insights on choosing the best smartwatch by exploring factors such as durability, battery life, ease of use, price and one’s personal style.
Table of Contents
- 1 At a glance, Top smartwatches under 300 dollars:
- 2 Best smartwatches under 300 dollars:
- 2.1 Samsung Gear S3 Frontier Smartwatch
- 2.2 Samsung Gear S3 Frontier Smartwatch (Bluetooth), SM-R760NDAAXAR - US Version with Warranty
- 2.3 Garmin vívoactive 3 Music
- 2.4 Garmin vívoactive 3 Music, GPS Smartwatch with Music Storage and Built-in Sports Apps, Black
- 2.5 Garmin Forerunner 235
- 2.6 Garmin Forerunner 235 (Marsala) GPS Running Watch Bundle | with HD Screen Protector Film (x4) & PlayBetter USB Car/Wall Adapters | On-Wrist Heart Rate | Elevate Heart Rate Technology | VO2 Max
- 2.7 Fossil Men’s Gen 4 Explorist HR
- 2.8 Fossil Leather Touchscreen Smartwatch ((Model: FTW4016))
At a glance, Top smartwatches under 300 dollars:
Why Buy a Smartwatch?
Notifications
A smartwatch is a great device especially if you love the outdoors. Unlike the time it takes you to see notifications on your smartphone, it is much faster and efficient when you’re using a smartwatch. In a day, you probably receive hundreds of notifications. Using a smartwatch instead of checking your smartphone every now and then ensures that you save time.
Also technically, it would be uncomfortable swimming with your smartphone or running with it to keep track of your time and the calories your burning. A waterproof smartwatch comes in handy in this instances.
Navigation
Use your smartwatch to track navigation especially if your car does not have Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. You can achieve this by first setting the destination you’re going on your smartphone and then use the navigation of your smartwatch. The navigation feature is also great in making biking, running and hiking routes.
Mundane Activities
Use your wearable to perform mundane activities that don’t necessarily require you to use your phone including setting reminders or replying to messages requiring a one-off response such as “No,” “Yes,” “Ok” or “Cool”.
Tracker
Track your movements using GPS including walking, running, running or swimming and ensure that assists you meet your fitness goals. Even more recent, there are wearables now that allow you to track your sleep especially if you are one of those who has difficulties sleeping.
Things to Consider in order to Choose the Best Smartwatch for your Needs:
Price
While considering to go for a smartwatch, the first thing you ought to consider is your budget. A good smartwatch can range from $100 to $300 depending on the features it has and where you purchase it. It goes without saying that the more you pay, the more features you get in a smartwatch. However, that does not mean that cheaper smartwatches aren’t great. At the end of the day, it boils down to what you need in the smartwatch.
Notifications
Smartwatches offer a variety of notifications including email, text message, alarm, calendar, weather and more. When choosing a smartwatch, ensure it is compatible with the notifications you want. We recommend that you try out the smartwatch before purchasing it. Unlike smartphones that have general features based on the OS, smartwatches are diverse and each comes with its own unique features.
Display
Different smartwatches come with different displays. There are those with simple black and white display while others have full-colored displays. Furthermore, some smartwatches display the entire message while others display only the icon. Before purchasing a smartwatch, ensure you have a good look at the display and confirm that it is the one you want.
Battery Life
Ensure that you research on the battery life of the wearable before making a purchase. There are those that last half a day and some can last up to a week. Also, it depends on the features the smartwatch supports.
Water Resistance
There are those that are splash proof meaning that they can handle a bit of water, some are waterproof to a specific depth while others are water resistant. Remember to take this into consideration before going ahead and making the purchase.
So, now that you have a quick idea about smartwatches and how choose one that fits your needs, here are some of the best smartwatches under $300 we selected for you:
Best smartwatches under 300 dollars:
Samsung Gear S3 Frontier Smartwatch
Samsung Gear S3 Frontier Smartwatch (Bluetooth), SM-R760NDAAXAR - US Version with Warranty
8 used from $42.99
Features
- A distinctive steel bezel that you can rotate to access apps and notifications, strap with buckle: 2.76 inches, large strap with holes: 5.12 inches, small strap with holes: 4.33 inches
- Text, call and get notifications directly from your watch through your bluetooth connected smartwatch. Battery charging method - Wireless charging dock
- Make payments with Samsung pay almost anywhere you swipe or tap a credit card; Battery type and Size: 380mAh Li ion
- With military grade performance, the Gear S3 resists water, dust, extreme temperatures and the occasional drop; Typical usage: Up to 3 days
- Compatible with Android and iOS smartphones (compatible with select Bluetooth capable smartphones using Android OS 4.4 and later with at least 1.5GB RAM as well as iPhone 5 and later with iOS 9.0 and above; Gear S3 supported smartphones may vary by carrier and device; For a list of compatible smartphones and features
The Samsung Gear S3 Frontier comes with two interfaces; classic and frontier. Among its unique features is that you can make payments with Samsung Pay. To stay connected you only need Bluetooth.
This smartwatch has military grade performance and it is resistant to dust, water and extreme temperatures. Other cool features include the fact that you can customize the watch face and use the built-in S Health App to monitor your heart rate and track your fitness.
To access the Apps, you only need to rotate the distinctive bezel. Abilities of the Samsung Gear S3 Frontier include the ability to answer and place calls, a large selection of water faces and excellent battery life that runs for days.
Pros
- The rotating bezel that enables you to access various apps
- The smartwatch is dust and waterproof
- The smartwatch has an excellent battery life
Cons
- S Voice Assistant isn’t as effective.
- Updates may change the operations
Garmin vívoactive 3 Music
Garmin vívoactive 3 Music, GPS Smartwatch with Music Storage and Built-in Sports Apps, Black
Features
- GPS smartwatch with music storage and playback. Fits wrists with a circumference of 5 to 8 inches
- Easily download up to 500 songs on your watch, and connect with headphones enabled with Bluetooth technology (sold separately) for phone free listening
- Garmin Pay contactless payment solution (available for supported cards from participating banks) lets you make convenient payments with your watch, so you can leave your cash and cards at home
- Customize with thousands of free watch faces, apps and more from our connect IQ store
- More than 15 preloaded sports apps, including yoga, running, swimming, strength training and many more; The nexgadget replacement for Garmin charger is perfect compatible with our Vivoactive 3, we highly recommend it
Garmin smartwatch comes in a variety of colors including black silver, black with slate, white/rose gold, white/silver, black, and granite blue/rose gold. If you love your music, this wearable is meant for you. It can store up to 500 songs on its on-device music storage. The smartwatch has up to 15 preloaded sports apps.
Additionally, Garmin is also popular with fitness enthusiasts because the smartwatch allows the user to download and create workouts. Further, you can monitor your stress and fitness. The smartwatch is also comfortable and has a long battery life.
Pros
- Very comfortable on the hand
- Great battery life
- Supports music
Cons
- Doesn’t link all credit cards to Garmin Pay
- GPS accuracy isn’t perfect
Garmin Forerunner 235
Garmin Forerunner 235 (Marsala) GPS Running Watch Bundle | with HD Screen Protector Film (x4) & PlayBetter USB Car/Wall Adapters | On-Wrist Heart Rate | Elevate Heart Rate Technology | VO2 Max
Features
| Binding | Electronics |
| Brand | PlayBetter |
| Color | Marsala |
| EAN | 0721361821003 |
| EAN List | EAN List Element: 0721361821003 |
| Item Dimensions | Height: 177; Length: 177; Weight: 9; Width: 46 |
| Label | Garmin Fitness |
| Manufacturer | Garmin Fitness |
| Manufacturer Parts Warranty Description | Full Garmin 1-Year Warranty |
| MPN | AC-SO-13JU-022704 |
| Package Dimensions | Height: 295; Length: 760; Weight: 60; Width: 598 |
| Package Quantity | 1 |
| Part Number | AC-SO-13JU-022704 |
| Product Group | GPS or Navigation System |
| Product Type Name | GPS_OR_NAVIGATION_SYSTEM |
| Publisher | Garmin Fitness |
| Size | +Power Bundle |
| Studio | Garmin Fitness |
| Title | Garmin Forerunner 235 (Marsala) GPS Running Watch Bundle | with HD Screen Protector Film (x4) & PlayBetter USB Car/Wall Adapters | On-Wrist Heart Rate | Elevate Heart Rate Technology | VO2 Max |
| UPC | 721361821003 |
| UPC List | UPC List Element: 721361821003 |
This smartwatch is designed to be a running watch. It is GPS enabled and has a wrist-based monitor. The watch can be customized to various training goals and has a GPS running watch that counts your steps, the distance your cover, calories burned and even the time you sleep. The connection to your phone is quick, and its battery life is long. You only need to charge your phone once a week. Its accuracy with location and time has been lauded by many who have gotten to use it.
Pros
- Waterproof
- Long battery life
Cons
- Doesn’t support music
- Heart rate monitoring isn’t accurate
Fossil Men’s Gen 4 Explorist HR
Fossil Leather Touchscreen Smartwatch ((Model: FTW4016))
Features
- Smartwatches powered with Wear OS by Google work with iPhone and Android Phones
- Heart Rate & Activity Tracking using Google Fit; Built-in GPS for distance tracking; Swimproof design 3ATM; Google Assistant built in - it’s your own personal Google, always ready to help; Speed through checkout with your watch using Google Pay
- This is one smart watch - receive smartphone notifications and app alerts, manage your calendar, control your music, download third party apps (your favorite ride-sharing or music apps), and customize your watch face; touchscreen functionality, built-in fitness tracker, microphone, music storage & controls, custom goal & alarm settings, calendar alerts, multiple time zones, weather, LED flashlight, wireless syncing
- Estimated 24 hour battery life, based on usage plus 2 additional days in low-power mode; magnetic USB rapid charger included; charge up to 80% in under an hour
- Classic Design. Modern Tech. This 45mm Explorist HR (Heart Rate) touchscreen smartwatch lets you track your heart rate, receive notifications, customize your dial and more; Case size: 45mm; Band size: 22mm; interchangeable with all Fossil 22mm bands; easily change your watch band with quick release pins; imported
Fossil has also ventured to design and create a line wearables in addition to creating traditional watches. And the Fossil Men’s Gen 4 Explorist HR is one of the best smartwatches under 300 dollars you can find, both in terms of its design, and features. Powered by Android, its unique features include Google Watch Apps, Google Pay, Google Assistant, and Hangouts. It tracks your heart rate during workouts and has untethered GPS that tracks your running distance even if you leave your smartphone at home. The watch is also waterproof. The smartwatch features an attractive watch body and design making this time piece a statement accessory on your wrist. You can receive and respond to notification to using the watch.
Pros
- Great design and look
- Fast charging
Cons
- Short battery life
- Screen flickers when not on ambient mode
