Wearables, smartwatches & fitness trackers compatibility

So you want to buy a fitness tracker or smartwatch. Well, what you probably didn’t know is that they’re not compatible with every smartphone. Check out our table below to find the wearable you plan to buy and match it against the smartphone you currently own (or vice versa).

U.S. Cellular

$10 off gadget guard black ice + liquid screen protector for wearables when you order a smart watch or fitness tracker

T&Cs apply

Last verified 17 Jul 2019

Get deal

Deal ends 7 Aug 2019

U.S. Cellular

$10 off select accessories from $49.99

Excludes: Connected Home, Wearables, weBoost and Open Box accessories

Last verified 2 Jul 2019

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Deal ends 31 Jul 2019

Amazon

Get the latest wearable technology on Amazon electronics

Find out about the hot new products on the wearable technology store on Amazon. From fitness trackers to smartwatches and heart rate monitors, Amazon got you covered.

Last verified 20 May 2018

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What to look for when buying a smartwatch or fitness tracker

The final decision of what wearable is right for you will come down to preference and lifestyle, however, there are a few key features that you should look for when shopping for a quality smartwatch:

• Is it compatible with my smartphone? The last thing you want to do is go to a store and buy a smartwatch or fitness tracker only to find out later when you get home that it won’t pair with your smartphone.
• Do you want it to track fitness? If you’re an exercise nut, you’re going to want to make sure that you can track GPS, your heart rate, steps and distance traveled.
• Battery life. Research and find out how long the wearable can go without being charged. Smartwatches with touchscreens tend to have a smaller battery life then smartwatches with analog faces.
• What apps can run on it? Some smartwatches have limited functionality and some can do almost everything your smartphone can. That being said, it’s smart to really think about how you’ll be using yours. If you only want to use a few choice features, shop for wearables that offer what you need instead of buying a smartwatch with all the bells and whistles.
• Can it be personalized? With smartwatches and wearables evolving, consumers want more choices of how to show off the smart device on their wrist — look at details like face shape, color, size and interchangeable bands.
• Price. You can buy a smartwatch for under $50 or go all out and spend upwards of $1,000. Narrow down your budget in order to find the smartwatch that will most suit your personal circumstances.

What smartwatches are waterproof?

You can take some smartwatches for a dip in the pool or a swim in the ocean without killing it with water damage. If you’re an avid swimmer, be sure to pay attention to the ATM measurement, as this reflects how water resistant the watch actually is and how deep under water it can go. Here are some watches that go underwater:

Are there smartwatches that can track swimming?

There sure are. When swimming is part of your daily exercise routine, it’s a must that you’re tracking your progress so you can keep up with your fitness goals. These underwater wearables can track laps, time, distance, pace and strokes depending on how you use them:

Bottom line

By researching the market to see what’s out there, you can narrow down whether a fitness tracker or smartwatch is the right wearable for you. There’s no such thing as the best wearable, as this depends on what features are needed and the amount of usage it’ll get. And pricey isn’t always better, take your personal situation into consideration to get the wearable that can benefit your lifestyle the most.

Jeremy Cabral

Jeremy is finder's Global Head of Publishing & Editorial. Jeremy has been with finder since the very beginning and is part of the founding team working closely with Fred and Frank to build finder.com into the comparison network it is today.