Technologies
Best Budget Smartwatches: Top Cheap Picks
Who says a good smartwatch can’t be affordable? Our sub-$100 picks hit the mark without compromising on features or battery life.
Our Experts
There are plenty of affordable smartwatches out there, but only a few are actually worth your time. The sub-$100 category has become the wild west of wearables; crowded with imposters making big claims and delivering on very few. We haven’t tested every bargain-bin watch on the market, but we’ve tested enough to know when we’ve found a rare gem. A watch that goes beyond just the basics, with solid health and fitness tracking, smartphone features that actually work, and a multi-day battery life that can outlast some pricier models. Here are our picks for the best smartwatches (and smartwatch hybrids) under $100, plus a couple of alternatives that almost made the cut. We also share a few tips on what to look for when shopping in this cluttered (and sometimes sketchy) category.
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What’s the best cheap smartwatch overall?
The best budget smartwatch by a landslide is the Amazfit Bip 6. This is the kind of watch that makes you forget its sub-$100 price tag, packing features you’d normally expect from models that cost at least twice as much. This includes advanced health metrics like SpO2 (blood oxygen), wrist temperature tracking, stress levels and women’s health insights. It also lasted more than a week on a single charge during our testing, and can be tweaked to stretch even longer with custom settings.
Smartphone integration isn’t as seamless as what you’d get from Wear OS or WatchOS smartwatches, since the Bip 6 runs its own proprietary system. But that also means it’s compatible with both Android phones and iPhones. Just note that iPhone users won’t be able to respond to notifications from the watch.
The Bip 6 delivers where it counts, making it a great option for anyone prioritizing price and willing to spend a little more time setting it up to fit their needs.
Amazfit Bip 6
Pros
- $80 price is much less than most watches
- Works with Android and iOS
- Great battery life (lasts a week with heavy use)
- Tracks a wide variety of fitness activities accurately
- Temperature tracking and advanced sleep monitoring
Cons
- Single sizing option (44mm) is limiting
- UI and app are unintuitive
- Some health metrics are hard to interpret
- Voice assistant is unreliable
- Bluetooth range is short (especially on iPhone)
The $80 Amazfit Bip 6 is the most affordable option on this list, and a rare standout in the budget smartwatch category because it delivers on all the basics (and more) without many compromises. The design and interface aren’t as refined as what you’ll find with pricier models, but that feels like a fair trade-off considering how much the Bip 6 gets right. It offers accurate fitness tracking, with customizable training tools like heart rate zones, plus advanced health features including SpO2 (blood oxygen); temperature and sleep tracking; and high and low heart rate alerts.
Why we like it
While its low price might be its main draw, the Amazfit Bip 6 is one of the few sub-$100 smartwatches that’s actually worth your time. Beyond all the features mentioned above, we also like it for its weeklong (or longer) battery life and its compatibility with both iPhones and Android phones.
Who it’s best for
The Amazfit Bip 6 is ideal for anyone looking to try out a smartwatch without making a major investment. It’s a great fit for folks willing to do a bit of customization on the back end to make the watch work for their specific needs.
The Galaxy Fit 3 on my ~6.5-inch wrist.
Pros
- $60 price is the cheapest entry point into Samsung’s ecosystem
- Robust health tracking and sleep coaching tools
- 3-day battery life with always-on display (up to 13 days with lighter use)
- Slim, lightweight design that looks fancier than most budget trackers
Cons
- No built-in GPS for phone-free outdoor workouts
- No voice assistant or dictation features
- No mobile payments or third-party app support
- Limited notification handling (can’t initiate calls or texts)
The $60 Galaxy Fit 3 sits right on the line between fitness tracker and true smartwatch. It has a sleek design that’s flattering on most wrists and a simple UI that doesn’t overcomplicate your health data. There are a few concessions given its affordable price and simplicity, like the lack of a voice assistant and true message response, but it’s still plenty for Samsung fans or people looking for an entry-level way to track fitness.
What we like it
At $60, it’s the most affordable entry point into Samsung’s health and fitness ecosystem, which includes metrics like heart rate and SpO₂ monitoring, stress levels, and sleep scores for much less than flagship smartwatches like the Galaxy Watch 7. Its pared-down size and simplified features also give it a battery boost: expect around three days with the always-on display enabled, or up to 13 days in battery saver mode.
Who it’s best for
The Fit 3 is great for anyone looking to track their health and fitness without committing to the price or bulk of a full-fledged smartwatch. It’s best for Samsung users already in the ecosystem, but it can also be paired with other Android phones.
Amazfit Bip 6 specs and features
| Spec | Galaxy Fit 3 | Amazfit Bip 6 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $60 | $79 |
| Display | 1.6″ AMOLED (256 × 402, 16 M colors) | 1.97″ AMOLED (390 × 450, up to 2,000 nits) (us.amazfit.com) |
| Body | 42.9 × 28.8 × 9.9 mm | 46.3 × 40.2 × 10.45 mm |
| Weight | 36.8 g | 27.9 g |
| Materials | Aluminum + glass | Aluminum frame + polymer case |
| Water Resistance | 5 ATM + IP68 | 5 ATM |
| OS | FreeRTOS | ZeppOS |
| RAM | 16 MB | 64 MB |
| Storage | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Battery | 208 mAh | 340 mAh |
| Battery Life | Up to 13 days | Up to 14 days typical; 26 days saver |
| Fast Charge | 65% in 30 min | ? |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 5.3 | Bluetooth 5.2, GPS |
| GPS | No (phone GPS) | Yes, built-in, supports offline maps |
| Sensors | Accelerometer, gyro, barometer, optical HR, SpO₂, light | BioTracker™ PPG (5PD+2LED), accelerometer, gyro, ambient light, geomagnetic |
| Notifications | Calls, text, media controls | Calls, texts, notifications; voice replies on Android |
| Additional Features | 100+ workout modes, sleep, stress | 140+ activity modes, Zepp Coach, offline maps, menstrual tracking |
| Voice Assistant | No | Zepp Flow voice control |
| NFC Payments | No | No |
| Platform Compatibility | Android | iOS & Android |
Recent updates
In June 2025, we added the Samsung Galaxy Fit 3 to our round-up as a simple, more affordable alternative for Samsung fans looking to track their health and fitness.
Factors to consider when choosing a smartwatch
Picking a budget smartwatch can be trickier than it looks, mostly because of the sheer volume of bad options out there. This list is a great place to start, but it’s worth thinking through your priorities (beyond just price) before you commit. Here’s what to keep in mind when shopping under $100:
Software and UI
If reliability and user-friendly design matter to you, stick with more established brands like Samsung, Fitbit or even other Amazfit options. At this price, you can likely score some older models at a discounted rate or opt for fitness tracker hybrids like the Samsung Fit 3 or the Fitbit Inspire 3 with some smartwatch features that work well with your phone. Samsung pairs seamlessly with Samsung phones, while Fitbit and Amazfit options tend to work reliably across both iOS and Android.
Design
Design is often where budget watches cut corners. Many use plastic cases and silicone bands, which can feel bulkier and look less refined. Screen quality is another trade-off — lower resolution displays can appear grainy or pixelated. If aesthetics matter, consider older models of premium brands or a fitness tracker with a sleeker look.
Battery Life Battery life claims can be misleading at this price. Make sure what’s advertised for the specific watch reflects typical use, and includes some kind of stripped-down low-power mode that only shows the time. Always-on displays that often accelerate battery drain are rare on wearables under $100, but most watches should last 24 hours (at the bare minimum) using raise-to-wake mode.
Connectivity and GPS
Expect only Wi-Fi models in this range, meaning you won’t be able to make calls or send texts without your phone nearby. Also, check the GPS capability; some watches, like the Bip 6, can track outdoor workouts independently, while others, like the Fit3, rely on your phone for mapping.
Price
You’re already filtering for watches under $100, but even within that range, you’ll find differences. Going closer to $50 usually means fewer features, but that could be fine if you don’t need all the bells and whistles. If you’re looking for something more well-rounded, the $80 to $100 range tends to offer better value overall.
How we test smartwatches
With budget smartwatches, we follow the same rigorous testing guidelines as their premium counterparts, paying even closer attention to categories where we may see potential trade-offs like sensor accuracy and software support.
The Basics: First, we evaluate how well these watches hold up to real-world use: notifications, texting (if available), and phone pairing. We also review the companion app experience, which is particularly important for budget watches, many of which rely on proprietary apps for health data and customization. Some may lack advanced phone integration — especially for iPhone users — so we flag those limitations in our reviews.
Performance and navigation: While lower-cost models rarely have the processing power of premium options, we assess how smooth and responsive the interface is during typical use. That includes swiping between menus, launching workouts, syncing to the app and responding to notifications (when available).
Design and durability: Affordability doesn’t have to mean cheap build quality. We test for comfort, fit, and how the watch holds up to daily wear and tear. Most budget models don’t come with military-grade durability or high water resistance ratings so we’re not as “rough” on these devices and only go up to what the rating allowed, but will fully acknowledge this trade off in the review.
Battery life: Budget smartwatches tend to outperform premium ones when it comes to battery life because of the lesser-quality screen and power-hungry apps, but it’s not always a given. We start our testing with a fully charged battery and then test how long a watch lasts with normal use. This includes sleep tracking, mirrored notifications from our phone and at least one outdoor (using GPS). Once it’s drained, we’ll time how long it takes to charge back up to 100%. We’ll also flag any battery-saving tactics unique to that model, although our core testing is done at full capacity (not battery-saving mode).
Sensor accuracy: Sensor quality can be hit or miss in this category, so we run side-by-side comparisons with gold-standard tools. For heart rate, we test against a chest strap during cardio workouts. For SpO2, we use a fingertip pulse oximeter. For watches with built-in GPS, we also assess how quickly the GPS locks in for outdoor workouts and compare its accuracy to a smartphone GPS (separate from the one it’s paired to). We’ll call out any obvious inconsistencies in route and tracking.
Ultimately, we’re looking for watches that deliver true value and not just a long spec sheet of half baked-features.
Other smartwatches we’ve tested
We’ve also tested the Amazfit Active 2, which shares a lot of the same great features as the Bip 6 but comes in a smaller, circular design that feels a bit more premium thanks to its stainless steel frame and slimmer body. It’s more expensive than the Bip 6, but at $100, it technically still makes the cutoff to land a spot on this list (barely).
For a more full-featured alternative to the Galaxy Fit 3, the older Galaxy Watch 4 still holds up to today’s standards with ECG and blood pressure tracking (but no skin temperature). It may not be as speedy as the newer models, but it will run the latest version of Wear OS and you can often find it for under $100 through third-party retailers like Walmart.
FAQs
What we look forward to in the second half of 2025
Smartwatches are only getting smarter about health, and I hope that continues; whether it’s better sensors, new metrics, or more personalized coaching, especially as more brands start leaning on AI to make sense of your data. One trend I’d love to see stick around in this year’s launches is better battery life. Smarter software and hardware upgrades like the dual CPU architecture on the OnePlus Watch 3 are finally making multiday wear feel realistic. Meanwhile, the definition of a wearable is expanding fast, with more smart rings making their debuts as well as upgraded earbud options with built-in health sensors that are already nudging into smartwatch territory. They probably won’t replace watches entirely, but they’re definitely raising the bar, and will continue giving the smartwatch category a healthy push forward.
Technologies
Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for Jan. 25 #959
Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for Jan. 25, No. 959
Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.
Really, New York Times? The paper noted for being rather sedate actually put the words SUB and DOM next to each other in today’s NYT Connections puzzle. Of course, they didn’t mean what they could have meant, and they did not end up in the same category, but still. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.
The Times has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including the number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.
Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time
Hints for today’s Connections groups
Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.
Yellow group hint: Like an understudy.
Green group hint: Delete is another one.
Blue group hint: Like penne.
Purple group hint: At the end of words.
Answers for today’s Connections groups
Yellow group: Act as a backup.
Green group: PC keyboard keys.
Blue group: Pasta shapes.
Purple group: Suffixes.
Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words
What are today’s Connections answers?
The yellow words in today’s Connections
The theme is act as a backup. The four answers are cover, fill in, sub and temp.
The green words in today’s Connections
The theme is PC keyboard keys. The four answers are alt, enter, menu and windows.
The blue words in today’s Connections
The theme is pasta shapes. The four answers are bowtie, ribbon, shell and tube.
The purple words in today’s Connections
The theme is suffixes. The four answers are ate, dom, hood and ship.
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Technologies
Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for Jan. 25 #693
Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for Jan. 25, No. 693.
Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.
Today’s NYT Strands puzzle was a bit tricky at first, although the answers are fairly short and simple. If you need hints and answers, read on.
I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story.
If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.
Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far
Hint for today’s Strands puzzle
Today’s Strands theme is: The straight and narrow
If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Not curved.
Clue words to unlock in-game hints
Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:
- KITE, KITES, CITE, CITES, LONG, NOTE, NOTES, PATE, PALE, BATE, SPOT, POTS, LION, LIONS, STEAK
Answers for today’s Strands puzzle
These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:
- CANE, POLE, POST, BATON, DOWEL, STAKE, PICKET
Today’s Strands spangram
Today’s Strands spangram is STICKYSITUATION. To find it, start with the S that’s the bottom letter in the far-left row, and wind straight up, one over and then straight down.
Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.
Technologies
Every iPhone 17E Rumor and Leak That I Found: Dynamic Island, MagSafe and More
Apple’s reportedly releasing a lower-priced iPhone 17, and it might offer notable improvements over last year’s iPhone 16E.
Key Takeaways:
- Features: Apple might include MagSafe on the iPhone 17E.
- Release date: Possibly as soon as February.
- Price: There have been no leaks about price increases, which is good news at this point.
- Design: Could get the Dynamic Island and look more like an iPhone 15.
Apple might be continuing its lower-cost iPhone line, with an iPhone 17E reportedly releasing early this year. If that’s true, the sequel to last year’s iPhone 16E has a lot of room to step up.
Some rumors point to improvements borrowed from Apple’s iPhone 15, such as Dynamic Island and MagSafe. If these are true, it could make the lower-cost iPhone 17E a compelling value option with fewer trade-offs needed to hit a lower price.
Apple’s $599 iPhone 16E was a bit of an oddity when it was released last year. It replaced Apple’s $429 iPhone SE, effectively retiring the older iPhone SE design that included a home button with Touch ID. Apple’s new «budget» device was a pricier amalgamation, featuring the body of an iPhone 14 with a display notch. It also had the USB-C port from the iPhone 15 and the A18 processor from the iPhone 16 to support Apple Intelligence features.
To save money, Apple scaled back on features by including only a single 48-megapixel main camera and omitting Apple’s MagSafe clip-on capability (though it kept standard wireless charging). While the iPhone 16E is a solid starter iPhone, I found these omissions to be confusing, especially given that Apple increased the price of this entry-level iPhone from $429 to $599.
An iPhone 17E could follow a playbook closer to Samsung’s Galaxy S25 FE. It would have many of the same features as the iPhone 16 and iPhone 17, like the smaller screen notch and an A19 processor, along with smaller stepbacks to the hardware that might be less noticeable.
Apple hasn’t confirmed whether an iPhone 17E exists yet, but we’re keeping an eye out. Here are the rumors we’ve heard so far, with features that could help or hinder the more budget-friendly iPhone 17E.
iPhone 17E release date: February 2026
The iPhone 17E could be announced as early as February, according to a Mashable report citing the Digital Chat Station Weibo account. The phone is said to be launching in the first half of the year. This would align with the iPhone 16E’s February 2025 announcement, establishing winter as Apple’s preferred launch window for cheaper iPhone models.
There are even rumors suggesting the base iPhone 18 will launch in the first half of 2027, but let’s not get too ahead of ourselves.
iPhone 17E design: Gets a Dynamic Island
One aspect that made the iPhone 16E stand out was Apple’s new design, which featured the iPhone 14’s body, a USB-C port and a single camera.
The iPhone 17E, however, will allegedly look more like 2023’s iPhone 15, with a smaller Dynamic Island cutout, according to the same Digital Chat Station Weibo post. The iPhone 17E is rumored to have a 6.1-inch display with a cutout, including dynamically sized notifications for timers and app alerts, such as Uber pickups.
This design is corroborated by the Smart Pikachu Weibo account, which also notes that the iPhone 17E will have a 60Hz refresh rate screen rather than the 120Hz one seen across the iPhone 17 line and the iPhone Air. It’d be nice to see a 17E with a 120Hz display, dubbed ProMotion by Apple. But this is one area that could be less noticeable to people coming from a former iPhone SE or an older base model like the iPhone 14.
While Apple’s ProMotion displays have been available on Pro models for years — as well as on almost every Android phone that costs $300 and more — the smoother animations and always-on displays it provides won’t be as noticeable when switching from a phone that never had them.
iPhone 17E features: MagSafe wireless charging
It baffled me that Apple didn’t include MagSafe with last year’s iPhone 16E. The feature, which allows for sticking magnetic accessories like chargers and wallets without a case, has been on most iPhone models since 2020. It felt like a strange omission, since Apple contributed MagSafe’s charging and magnetic profiles to the Qi2 standard, both of which are on Google’s Pixel 10 phones, HMD’s Skyline, and the upcoming Clicks Communicator.
The iPhone 17E is rumored to have a glass back that supports magnetic wireless charging — likely meaning the phone would gain the ability to magnetically attach to MagSafe and Qi2 accessories, according to a report in The Information spotted by 9to5Mac. This would be a major improvement for someone coming to this phone from an iPhone SE or the iPhone 11, both of which do support Qi wireless charging but do not include magnets for attaching accessories and cases.
While we would need more details, hopefully the inclusion of MagSafe also means the iPhone 17E’s wireless charging speed would increase to at least 15 watts, matching the iPhone 15.
iPhone 17E pricing
We’ll keep updating this story as more iPhone 17E rumors arrive. While there isn’t much regarding the pricing of the rumored phone, last year’s iPhone 16E starts at $599 for a 128GB model. I’m hoping the iPhone 17E starts at 256GB of storage, like the base iPhone 17. Apple still sells both the 16E and the iPhone 16 at 128GB, with the latter starting at $699.
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