Smartwatches: The Best and Not-so-Best

If you feel a bit flustered when shopping for smartwatches, you are not alone.  There is an influx of smartwatches on the market, each of which has its own unique merits and flaws.  In other words, it is awfully challenging to separate the best smartwatches from the rest.  Our tech experts are here to help.

The Best Smartwatches

Smartwatch reviewers far and wide agree the Apple Watch Series 5 is one of the best smartwatches on the market.  This Apple device has a superior user experience design, an array of helpful features, numerous available customizations and unparalleled reliability.  The only drawback is an iPhone is necessary to use Apple smartwatches. 

If you own an Android phone, you will love the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2.  Critics rave about this watch as it uses the beloved Tizen software as opposed to Wear OS.  Available in two sizes, the Galaxy Watch Active 2 can be purchased with either a 1.2-inch or 1.4-inch Super AMOLED screen.  This screen is vivid, sharp, bright and capable of taking a beating and still ticking.  Samsung brought back the helpful rotating bezel featured on prior Galaxy watches, making it that much easier to move through watch menus in a truly seamless manner.  This way, there is no need to swipe over and over again on the diminutive touchscreen for every single action.

The Fossil Gen 5 is considered one of the best smartwatches around as it has fantastic battery life, quick performance and runs the latest version of Google’s Wear OS.  Several style variations are available, giving the Fossil Gen 5 legitimate mass appeal. The watch has three buttons along with a large crown that serves as a scroll wheel and can also be pressed downward as a button.  In fact, users can even customize the functionality of two additional buttons for their preferred functions.

The Not-so-Best Smartwatches

LEMFO L20

The LEMFO L20 smartwatch has a touch display along with fitness trackers and apps for email/push notifications.  However, smartwatch-seekers should not be deceived by the watch’s stylish display.  Delve deeper into the watch’s nuances and you will find this is one of the worst models on the market.  In particular, the LEMFO L20 watch is particularly annoying when it emanates Chinese jingles that are more appropriate for cheap electronic trinkets sold at Asian flea markets.  The LEMFO L20 plays an ear-grating jingle that lasts an entire ten seconds every single time an email arrives.  Add in the fact that the watch is uncomfortable on the wrist and it is easy to see why people across the globe detest this smartwatch.

The LEMFO L19 watch is not much better than the LEMFO L20.  Though this smartwatch is slightly better than the bargain-basement sport watches available at big box retail stores like Walmart, it is not worth your hard-earned money.  Only those in need of a basic fitness tracker will consider this smartwatch halfway decent.  It is quite alarming that the LEMFO L20 does not charge. Wear this watch and you will be forced to replace the batteries over and over again.  It does not get much worse than that.