Technologies
Best Android Smartwatch for 2023
We’ve rounded up the best Apple Watch alternatives for work and working out.
A good smartwatch can add some serious convenience to your day-to-day routine. If you already use an Android smartphone, it just makes sense to get an Android smartwatch as well. The Apple Watch remains one of the most popular picks out there, but if you have an Android phone, you won’t be able to take full advantage of the features. That’s why Android users should get a watch that’s designed for your preferred operating system.
Whether you use your smartwatch for its fitness-tracking features, or as a less-distracting alternative to your phone, a smartwatch is a convenient way to stay connected and get information at a glance. And if you are in the market for an Android smartwatch, there are plenty of worthy contenders for just about any budget that offer key features like activity tracking, a heart rate sensor, Samsung Pay and more. Plus, there are many different styles of Android smartwatches to choose from to suit your personal taste.
If you’re looking for the best Android smartwatch out there, check out our recommendations below. You’ll notice we’re not recommending many watches powered by Wear OS because Google and Samsung have rebooted the OS, but every Android smartwatch listed here is a solid wearable with great features that pairs seamlessly with your Android phone or device. We’ll update our selections for the best Android smartwatch on the market periodically as we review new products.
Andrew Lanxon/CNET
Google’s first Pixel Watch wants to tackle the Apple Watch head-on. For the most part, it succeeds thanks to a sleek, curved design and a range of health sensors including an ECG app and blood oxygen tracking. It has a suite of fitness tracking features and analysis through the Fitbit app and accurate heart rate tracking.
Beware that the battery isn’t as strong as other options on this list and you will likely find yourself charging this watch every day, especially if you like to do outdoor GPS workouts and track your sleep. It’s also only available in one 41mm size.
Lexy Savvides/CNET
Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 5 and Watch 5 Pro are two of the best Wear OS watches you can get right now. They have longer-lasting batteries than last year’s Galaxy Watch 4 models and plenty of great fitness tracking features. Google apps including YouTube Music, the Google Assistant and Google Maps are available, with many more apps accessible through the Play Store. You do need a Galaxy phone to use the ECG, but all the other features work seamlessly with other Android phones.
But the new temperature sensor isn’t active yet, and both watches miss out on the classic physical rotating bezel, one of the signature features of Samsung’s Galaxy Watch and Gear watches from years past.
Lexy Savvides/CNET
The Galaxy Watch 4 is the first smartwatch to run the new Google Wear platform, co-designed by Samsung and Google. Even though it’s now been superseded with the Galaxy Watch 5, you can still buy the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic, the version with a physical rotating bezel. ECG and heart-rate tracking are onboard, but Samsung tries to differentiate itself from other watches with a new impedance-based electrical sensor that can tell you more about your body composition. The battery life is not as strong as other watches on the list.
Angela Lang/CNET
The Versa 3 smartwatch is compatible with both iOS and Android phones and lets you choose between Alexa or Google Assistant as your go-to voice assistant. It doesn’t offer all the apps and smart features that some of its competitors do, but it’s a well-rounded smartwatch with plenty of health and fitness features to keep you on track, such as onboard GPS and live heart rate monitoring notifications. The Android user can use this wearable to receive notifications for calls, texts, and calendar events. If your Android phone is nearby, you can use the Fitbit Versa to send a quick reply. It’s the best smartwatch on this list for sleep tracking, and it even gives you a breakout of your SpO2 and body temperature data overnight (for Fitbit Premium users). Battery life is also better than most: I got about four full days (and nights) of use with the screen always on.
There is also a newer model of this smartwatch, the Fitbit Versa 4, which we will be testing and evaluating soon.
Lexy Savvides/CNET
Garmin makes plenty of great smartwatches for fitness enthusiasts, but they don’t always have that many smart features. The Venu 2 hybrid smartwatch offers the best of both worlds. You can respond to notifications from the watch with quick replies, use contactless payments with Garmin Pay and store music from apps like Spotify. The bright AMOLED circular screen is easy to see outdoors and the battery lasts for 5 days or more. The Venu 2 Plus offers all the same features, but includes a speaker and microphone for taking quick calls from your wrist when your phone is in range, or talking to your voice assistant.
Lexy Savvides/CNET
If you’re looking for a fitness-focused Android watch without too many distractions, which works with both Android and iOS, the Garmin Venu Sq is the watch to get. It has a built-in GPS, plenty of workout options to choose from, and lots of fitness tracking data about your workout like heart rate zones and running dynamics in the mobile app.
This Android smartwatch also doubles as a health tracker with high and low heart rate alerts, a comprehensive sleep analysis and SpO2 tracking. It measures blood oxygen levels on demand, or automatically throughout the day and night just like the Apple Watch Series 7, but for half the price. But you do compromise on design. The watch has a plastic frame, and the watch face’s screen isn’t as big or as vibrant as those on some of the other watches on the list. There’s also a newer version of this watch, the Venu Sq 2, with a battery that lasts even longer, but it is significantly more expensive.
Lisa Eadicicco/CNET
If you’re looking for an Android-compatible watch that looks more like a dive watch, check out the Withings ScanWatch Horizon. It has regular watch hands and a tiny circular display that shows notifications scrolling across it like a ticker. But the focus is mostly on health-tracking features like monitoring your sleep, heart rate and workouts. There’s also an ECG onboard, and the battery can last two weeks or more.
More to track your fitness and health
- How to Buy a Smartwatch or Fitness Tracker
- The Best Chest Strap Heart Rate Monitor You Can Buy Now
- Best Fitness Tracker for 2023
- Best Alarm Clock for 2023
- Best Sunrise Alarm Clock for 2023
- Best Home Exercise Equipment for 2023
- The Best E-Bikes to Ride for 2023
- Best Peloton Alternatives: 5 Great Indoor Exercise Bikes That Cost Less
- Amazon Echo Dot With Clock vs. Google Home Mini
- OnePlus Reveals Budget Fitness Tracker Band
- Best Smartwatches for 2023
Technologies
Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Saturday, Sept. 6
Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Sept. 6.
Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.
Today’s Mini Crossword is extra-long, as usual on Saturdays. And a couple of the clues were stumpers! Need answers? Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.
If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.
Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword
Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.
Mini across clues and answers
1A clue: U.S. prez who served four terms
Answer: FDR
4A clue: Hurry, in Shakespearean English
Answer: HIE
7A clue: Only country to have a musical instrument (the harp) as its national emblem
Answer: IRELAND
9A clue: Big name in rum
Answer: BACARDI
10A clue: She holds the record for most #1 Billboard hits by a female rapper (5)
Answer: CARDIB
11A clue: Ancient time-tracking device
Answer: SUNDIAL
12A clue: Ctrl-___-Del
Answer: ALT
13A clue: Opposite of SSW
Answer: NNE
14A clue: Used to be
Answer: WAS
15A clue: Jupiter or Saturn, primarily
Answer: GAS
Mini down clues and answers
1D clue: Small lie
Answer: FIB
2D clue: Whom Count von Count of «Sesame Street» is a parody of
Answer: DRACULA
3D clue: Takes back, as testimony
Answer: RECANTS
4D clue: 1920s U.S. president
Answer: HARDING
5D clue: Home to the W.N.B.A.’s Fever
Answer: INDIANA
6D clue: Weed gummies
Answer: EDIBLES
8D clue: Cooking grease
Answer: LARD
11D clue: Observed
Answer: SAW
Technologies
Researchers Discover 18 Popular VPNs Are Connected: Why This Matters
All are owned by 3 separate groups but CNET’s recommended VPNs are not on the list
Virtual private networks are popular ways to keep your online activity private and hide your physical location from your internet service provider and apps. But it’s obviously important to choose a safe and secure VPN.
Three university researchers have discovered that 18 of the most widely used VPNs have shared infrastructures with serious security flaws that could expose customers’ browsing activity and leave their systems vulnerable to corrupted data. These VPNs are among the top 100 most popular on the Google Play Store, comprising more than 700 million downloads.
Read more: Best VPN Service for 2025: Our Top Picks in a Tight Race
The peer-reviewed study by the Privacy Enhancing Technologies Symposium found that these VPNs, despite calling themselves independent businesses, are actually grouped into three separate families of companies.
None of CNET’s recommended VPNs — ExpressVPN, NordVPN, Surfshark, Proton VPN and Mullvad — are on the list. (If you currently don’t have a VPN, here’s why you might want to start using one.)
According to the findings, these are the three groups that contain the 18 VPNs:
- Family A: Turbo VPN, Turbo VPN Lite, VPN Monster, VPN Proxy Master, VPN Proxy Master Lite, Robot VPN, Snap VPN and SuperNet VPN
- Family B: Global VPN, Inf VPN, Melon VPN, Super Z VPN, Touch VPN, VPN ProMaster, XY VPN and 3X VPN
- Family C: X-VPN and Fast Potato VPN
Researchers determined that the VPNs in Family A are shared between three providers linked to Qihoo 360, a firm identified by the US Department of Defense as a Chinese military company. The VPNs in Family B use the same IP addresses from the same hosting company.
Know your VPN’s parent company
It’s a cautionary tale about why it’s important to know who’s behind the VPN you’re using, says CNET senior writer Attila Tomaschek.
«It’s also crucial to know what kinds of data the VPN provider is sharing with its parent company and affiliated entities,» Tomaschek said. «Some of these companies may even be compelled to log customer activity and share it with authorities, depending on the jurisdiction in which they operate.»
Despite the warnings, Tomaschek says it’s not so easy to figure out who controls your VPN. But he says there are measures that customers can take.
«Users can do a few things to help ensure the VPN they’re using is reputable,» Tomaschek says. «Check the privacy policy — specifically for terms like ‘logging,’ ‘data sharing’ or ‘data collection.’ A Google search of the provider can help determine whether the VPN has been involved in questionable activity. Read detailed, unbiased reviews from reputable sources. Be especially wary of signing on with a free VPN, even if it’s listed as a top choice in your app store.»
The PETS researchers examined the most downloaded VPNs on Android, looking for overlaps among business paperwork, web presence and codebase. After identifying code similarities, they were able to group the 18 VPNs into three groups. The study was initially spurred by VPN Pro’s own findings, «Who owns your VPN? 105 VPNs run by just 24 companies.»
CNET’s Tomaschek has advice for anyone who has been using one of these 18 VPNs.
«I’d recommend deleting it from your device immediately,» he said. «If you suspect that any sensitive personal data may have been compromised, it’s a good idea to keep an eye on your credit report and look into services like dark web monitoring or identity theft protection.»
Technologies
Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for Sept. 6, #348
Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Sept. 6, No. 348.
Looking for the most recent regular 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 and Strands puzzles.
Today’s Connections: Sports Edition was a stumper. But if you play cards, the green group is a fun one for sure. If you’re struggling but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.
Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.
Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta
Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.
Yellow group hint: Racket time.
Green group hint: Ante up!
Blue group hint: NY signal-callers.
Purple group hint: Coach’s CV.
Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Yellow group: Tennis statistics.
Green group: Poker variants, familiarly.
Blue group: Giants QBs, past and present.
Purple group: Teams coached by Lane Kiffin.
Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words
What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?
The yellow words in today’s Connections
The theme is tennis statistics. The four answers are aces, double faults, unforced errors and winners.
The green words in today’s Connections
The theme is poker variants, familiarly. The four answers are hold ’em, horse, Omaha and stud.
The blue words in today’s Connections
The theme is Giants QBs, past and present. The four answers are Manning, Simms, Tittle and Wilson.
The purple words in today’s Connections
The theme is teams coached by Lane Kiffin. The four answers are Mississippi, Raiders, Tennessee and USC.
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