Many new technologies are being developed that make lives easier. Smart watches are an example of this. Small and portable, smart watches are convenient, whether someone just wants to track how many miles they have run, or want to make phone calls without carrying a phone around. Here are some current popular models:

Fitbit Charge 2

The Versa Lite can monitor activity through 24/7 heart rate tracking, calories burned, time and distance, etc. It also has specific functions for different activities, like biking and running. There is also a free app that syncs up with the watch that presents activity data in a user-friendly way. The watch’s battery lasts for just under a week.

The watch costs $170 from Amazon. The Versa Lite is more activity oriented than some other watches on this list, but it is good at tracking fitness and health. “I like that it tracks things like steps and heart rate so it knows my activity and what I can do better each week; it’ll send me reports.” Maggie Schiller ’21 said.

Garmin Forerunner 235

The Garmin Forerunner 235 is a watch for people who want to track their activity. It can measure heart rate 24/7, track the paths the wearer runs, and play music from the phone. It has a built-in GPS and accelerometer as well. “The Garmin also connects easily to Final Surge [an online workout log] and that makes it easy to log workouts.” Abigail Maitre ’21 said.

The screen is 45 mm tall. The watch can last 9 days on a single charge, or 11 hours if it is in GPS mode. This watch is in the mid range of cost at $250 from Garmin.

Garmin Forerunner 25

At $100, the Forerunner 25 is the cheapest watch on this list. However, it is still up there with the rest in terms of performance. With a built in GPS and tracking for heart rate and calories burned, this watch is a good activity tracker. “I like that it records your runs and lets you see your pace and how far you went,” Rachel Vaughan ’21 said, but mentioned that the watch takes some time to load.

The Forerunner 25 comes in two sizes: 44 and 47 mm. It also has a long battery life, at up to 10 weeks in activity-tracking mode and 10 hours with GPS on for the larger watch size. This watch is for those who want a watch to track their exercise.

Apple Watch Series 3

The Apple Watch Series 3 is similar to a phone in function, but in a much smaller size. “I can see all the notifications that I can get on my phone,” Madison Dunn ’20 said. “I can also respond to text messages and answer calls on my watch instead of having to pull my phone out.” This convenience has made the Series 3 Dunn’s favorite watch over her previous ones.

The watch comes in 38 mm or 42 mm display size, and either colored black or white. There is also the option of cellular, which allows the user to use all the features without having the phone nearby. This watch costs $200-330 depending on the size and cellular chosen.

It is important to note, however, that the Series 3 is only compatible with Apple phones.

Apple Watch Series 4

In addition to the functions of the Series 3, the Apple Watch Series 4 also has a safety feature that can detect falls. The watch sounds an alarm and an option to call emergency services appears. 

The watch’s screen size is either 40 or 44 mm tall. Its 18 hour battery life may be shorter than some other watches on this list, but this is still enough charge for one day. The watch has some interesting features. “I can ping [my watch] if I lost my phone.” Karshana Kalyanaraman ’21 said. The watch also has the ability to measure the healthiness of the user’s heart with an electrocardiogram. 

The Series 4 is also customizable; customers can choose from two different materials, four different finishes, and many band designs. The Series 4 can not be bought from Apple anymore, but can be found on Amazon or at Best Buy. Price varies between $300 and $400 depending on where it is bought.