- Wear OS has taken off in recent years, resulting in many smartwatch choices in the market.
- Older smartwatches like the Galaxy Watch 4/Classic and Galaxy Watch5/5 Pro are still relevant and are some of the best Wear OS smartwatches for first-time users.
- The latest watches such as the OnePlus Watch 2, Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro, and Pixel Watch 2 are more tailored for their respective ecosystems.
Google’s wearable platform has received much criticism and praise over the years. From the days when it felt as if Google had abandoned the platform till this day, the OS has come a long way, and so have the manufacturers making the current-gen Wear OS wearables. If we had penned this article a couple of years ago, there were hardly a few watches to include. However, Wear OS in 2024 is bustling with great smartwatches, so here are the best Wear OS smartwatches you can buy in 2024.
When it comes to Wear OS smartwatches, while the market is still not filled with lots of options, the existing lineup offers you some choices. From different sizes to dials, we’ve got you covered.
1. OnePlus Watch 2
The OnePlus Watch 2 is the latest entrant in the Wear OS market. It’s OnePlus’ first Wear OS smartwatch and is the closest to being the perfect Wear OS smartwatch. It solves one of the biggest issues with Wear OS smartwatches, the battery life, promising around two days in normal usage and up to 100 hours in smart mode with RTOS.
Sure it’s less inclusive because of its size (47mm) and there’s no LTE variant, but it more than makes up for it by using Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 Gen 1, 2/32GB RAM/eMMC, fast charging, great build quality, and a good 1.43-inch AMOLED display. Besides, it comes in two colors Black Steel and Radiant Steel. It’s priced decently at Rs 24,999 or $199.
One of the major drawbacks that we can’t ignore is that OnePlus only promises two major updates, which is less compared to 4 years on the Galaxy Watches and three years on the Pixel Watches; on the plus side, it runs the latest Wear OS 4.0. Overall, if you’re okay with two years of updates, it’s one of the best Wear OS smartwatches that you can buy right now.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Excellent battery life (best among Wear OS Smartwatches) | Only two major updates |
| Good performance | Only one dial size |
| Relatively cheaper | No LTE variant |
2. Samsung Galaxy Watch6 Classic
Samsung played a huge role in reviving Wear OS from the dead thanks to the launch of Galaxy Watch4. The company abandoned the “Classic” monicker and the rotating bezel in the Watch5 Pro which led to criticism, but listened to the same and launched the Watch6 Classic. It’s easily Samsung’s best Classic smartwatch to date.
It’s available in two colors — Black and Silver, two SKUs — Bluetooth / Wi-Fi and Bluetooth / Wi-Fi / LTE, and comes in two sizes — 43mm and 47mm. At its heart is Samsung’s W930 SoC which is a dual-core chip made for Wearables. It’s not as fast as the W5 Gen 1 but it isn’t a terrible performer either.
The 1.5-inch screen is protected by sapphire crystal combined with the rugged build and design making it a great watch to hike with. One of the best and the most underlooked things in Galaxy Watches, in general, are their unparalleled health features and tracking. The battery in the 47mm variant is a 425 mAh unit and is rated to last for two days. The Watch6 Classic runs the latest Wear OS 4.0 software.
The 43mm variant of the Watch6 Classic costs $399 whereas the 47mm costs $429. This makes it more than twice as expensive as the OnePlus Watch 2. However, if you’re in the Samsung ecosystem and need a smartwatch that can track health metrics accurately, the Watch6 Classic won’t disappoint you.
Pros Cons Two dial sizes Quite expensive Great health ecosystem. The best in Wear OS. Some features are exclusive to Samsung devices Sapphire Crystal display protection Good battery life Four years of major updates
3. Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro
One of the main selling points of the Galaxy Watch5 Pro, besides its rugged titanium build, was its promised two-day battery life. At the time of Watch5 Pro’s launch, most of the popular Wear OS devices could only last for a day at max, which made it a compelling deal. Although it’s over a year old now, it still makes up for a great Wear OS smartwatch.
For starters, you get a 1.4-inch AMOLED display protected by Sapphire Crystal tech. The watch is available in two colors and one size (45mm) and comes with a whopping 590mAh battery, which can last for around two days when used frugally. The watch is IP68-rated and has all the necessary bells and whistles for tracking various health parameters.
The best part is, that the Watch5 Pro is heavily discounted right now due to Watch6’s release. It launched for $449 but you can get it for as low as $299 for the GPS variant and $349 for the LTE variant. On paper, the Watch5 Pro looks like a better pick than the Watch 6 Classic, if you’re willing to let go of the rotating bezel.
Pros Cons Sapphire Crystal display protection No rotating bezel Titanium build makes it rugged Available in only one size Excellent sensor accuracy and Health ecosystem Great battery life for a Wear OS smartwatch Available for a price cut
4. Mobvoi Ticwatch Pro 5
Mobvoi has been in the Wear OS smartwatch game for quite some time now, and the Ticwatch Pro 5 Wear OS smartwatch is a testament to how the company has evolved over the years to tackle Wear OS’ shortcomings. The Pro 5 is a rugged smartwatch but its main selling point is its dual displays where the second display acts as an ultra-low power unit, which kind of solves Wear OS’ battery woes.
Besides, it features the latest W5+ Gen 1 from Qualcomm and a low-powered co-processor. The former is specifically designed with low-power co-processors in mind, which is what powers the second display and promises up to 80 hours of battery life. The watch comes with all the fitness features you’d expect from a smartwatch in 2024.
One of the major issues with Mobvoi is that they’re very slow to update their smartwatches. Although the Watch Pro 5 runs Wear OS 3.0, there’s no word from the company about when or if the Smartwatch will be updated to Wear OS 4.0. And judging by their track record, it’s not happening anytime soon.
The watch features a 1.43-inch AMOLED display with Corning Gorilla Glass, “7000 series aluminum,” and a 628mAh battery. It is MIL-STD-810H graded, is water resistant up to 5ATM, and comes in two colorways — Obsidian and Sandstone and one size. It costs $260 at the Mobvoi store, which, for its specifications, is a really good price. However, do remember that the updates and software experience could make it a bitter experience.
Pros Cons Low-powered second display for extended battery backup Dubious software update cycle Great build quality with 7000 series aluminum Available in only one dial size Great performance with Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 Relatively cheaper compared to others
5. Google Pixel Watch 2
The makers of Wear OS were quite late to the party with the first Pixel Watch; Nonetheless, we’re glad they made it. The first Pixel Watch wasn’t great; It had a slow processor, lacked a few fitness features, and had a substandard battery life for even 2023 standards. That changed with the Pixel Watch 2‘s release.
Sure it’s remained small at 41mm and still doesn’t last as much as other best Wear OS smartwatch contenders on this list, but it’s a significant upgrade from the first-gen watch thanks to the W5 Gen 1. With the smaller screen, it can last for two days with AOD disabled. It’s not cheap at $349, but if you crave to try out new features first or already own a few devices in the Pixel ecosystem, it’s not a bad purchase, especially if you can wait for it to drop in price, which Google devices are infamously known for.
The Fitbit app is a major drawback of the Pixel Watch 2. It’s free only for the first 6 months of owning the watch and doesn’t give you a lot of tailored insights. It feels… unenthusiastic. Having used the Galaxy Watch4 before, Samsung Health did a much better job of reminding me and suggesting ways to take care of my health, while being completely free.
Pros Cons Accurate health tracking Available in just one size Good performance Fitbit isn’t great. Free for only 6 months Premium build Battery lasts for at most a day Pixel software Expensive for what it has to offer
6. Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro
Xiaomi marked its entry into the Wear OS smartwatch business last year with the Watch 2 Pro, and it ticks almost all the boxes. Like the OnePlus Watch 2, it comes in one size i.e., 46mm, and a 1.43-inch AMOLED display with up to 600 nits of peak brightness. The battery is a 495mAh cell which, Xiaomi claims, could last for 65 hours on the Bluetooth variant and 55 hours on the LTE variant.
The watch is powered by the Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 SoC and comes with 2GB of RAM and 32 GB of internal eMMC storage. It’s available in two colors Black and Silver and is built to feel like a rugged device. The Wear OS software inside is mostly stock with a few pre-loaded Xiaomi apps like health, weather, compass, etc.
For an asking price of 329 euros, the features loaded in the smartwatch mostly justify the price tag. Xiaomi, however, didn’t mention the software support for the watch and if it’ll get updated to future Wear OS versions.
Pros Cons Great performance with W5+ Gen 1 Questionable updates policy Excellent build quality Only one dial size Good battery life rating Expensive
7. Samsung Galaxy Watch5
If you were wondering why extended software support is essential, the Galaxy Watch5 or even Watch4 are great examples. Had Samsung promised two years of updates to the Watch5, we might have avoided including the Watch5, but since it’s entitled to four years of updates, the Galaxy Watch5 should remain relevant for the next three years which is a win for the consumers.
The Galaxy Watch5 has more or less a similar feature set as the Galaxy Watch4 with the only differences being the addition of a temperature sensor, better durability, and slightly improved battery life. If you own a Watch4, you should stick to it; However, if you cannot decide between Watch4 and Watch5, we’d recommend buying the latter.
The Galaxy Watch5 is available in two sizes – 40mm and 44mm. While it looks like Samsung has discontinued it, you could get one refurbished from Best Buy for as low as $120, or get a new one from platforms like eBay for around $159. Watch5 is easily one of the best smartwatches to buy if you want to try out Wear OS and don’t want to blow the bank.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Accurate and comprehensive health tracking | Battery lasts for at most a day |
| Good build with Sapphire Crystal display protection | Some features work only with Samsung phones |
| Four years of major software updates | Performance could be sluggish |
| Extremely cheap after Watch6 series’ release |
8. Samsung Galaxy Watch4 Classic
You might want to buy the Galaxy Watch4 for two reasons. First, for the rotating bezel which you can otherwise only get in Watch6 Classic, and second, it’s greatly affordable when you consider how relevant it still is in 2024. The Galaxy Watch4 Classic launched back in 2021 and came in two dial sizes – 46mm and 42mm.
It has been updated to the latest Wear OS 4 operating system and will continue to receive updates till August 2025. Considering how you can score one from websites such as eBay for as low as $100, it makes up for an excellent first Wear OS smartwatch. Sure the W920 SoC is no speed champ, but the watch still looks great and the battery can last for more than a day, which is not bad for a Wear OS smartwatch.
Pros Cons Accurate and comprehensive health tracking Sluggish in day to day use Decent build No Display protection Extremely inexpensive for a Wear OS watch Four years of update promise – More than two major updates still remaining
Best Wear OS Smartwatches: Beebom’s Take
With Wear OS gaining popularity, we should hopefully see a surge in great smartwatches which could lead to manufacturers bringing affordable Wear OS smartwatches just like the Android smartphone market. Regardless, the platform seems to be on the track unlike before.
As for which is the best Wear OS smartwatch, it depends. If you’re into one of the ecosystems, you may consider the smartwatch from that brand more; however, the Android manufacturer ecosystem isn’t locked like Apple’s and you could use any Wear OS smartwatch with any smartphone, as long as it’s running Android 8.0 or above.
If I had to choose regardless of which ecosystem I’m into, I’d pick them in the following order: Galaxy Watch6 Classic -> Galaxy Watch 5 Pro -> Pixel Watch 2 -> OnePlus Watch 2 -> Xiaomi Watch Pro 2 -> Galaxy Watch5/4 Classic -> Ticwatch Pro 5. The health features and tracking on the Galaxy Watches are far better than any non-Samsung Wear OS device.
What are your thoughts on Wear OS? What do you think Google needs to do to make them more streamlined? Let us know in the comments section below.
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