These are the best smartwatches
Stiftung Warentest tests 13 new smartwatches. Surprisingly, the current Apple Watch does not take first place, nor does the Ultra. Overall, 17 out of 20 watches are good, with the cheapest costing less than 200 euros.
For a long time, the Apple Watch was the lone leader. It is still in the lead, but over the past few years the competition has caught up and is breathing down the number 1's neck. Surprisingly, neither the current Apple Watch 9 nor the super-expensive Ultra 2 are at the top of Stiftung Warentest 's list, but they are still the two best devices out of 13 newcomers.
Apple ahead of Garmin
The Apple Watch 8 took first place with a quality rating of 1.6. It offers very good fitness functions, including heart rate measurement, pedometer and distance measurement. It also scored very well for communication and other functions such as music features and sleep monitoring. The same applies to handling, stability and workmanship. In contrast, the testers only gave it a satisfactory rating for running performance, data protection and security. The Apple Watch 8 is available online from around 350 euros.
Its successor, which is around 70 euros more expensive, achieved second place with an overall rating of 1.7. The individual ratings of the Apple Watch 9 are basically the same as those of the front-runner, but a little weaker in some areas. Among other things, the 9 measures completed routes less accurately.
Cheap beats super expensive
Thrifty users can just as easily opt for the Apple Watch SE (2022), which has achieved the same quality rating and is available from just €260. It measures the distance as accurately as the number 1, but does not measure the heart rate as accurately as the other two stablemates.
The Apple Watch Ultra, which costs at least 830 euros, did no better overall than the almost 600 euro cheaper SE. At least it measures heart rate and distance as well as the Apple Watch 8.
The best non-Apple smartwatch is the Garmin Venu 2 Plus, which is available online from 300 euros. It also achieved an overall score of 1.7. The testers considered the fitness functions, handling, stability and workmanship to be very good. Communication and other functions were also rated as good, as was endurance. As with almost all test candidates, data protection is satisfactory.
With prices starting at 190 euros, the Xiami Watch S1 Pro is the cheapest good smartwatch in Stiftung Warentest. The Chinese watch received a quality rating of 2.3. It is a good fitness partner, but only offers satisfactory heart rate measurement. Communication and other functions were not rated any better. Handling and endurance were rated as good, stability and workmanship are very good.
It would have been interesting to see how the Google Pixel Watch 2 (380 euros) fared in Stiftung Warentest. After all, the first generation is one of the best devices with an overall score of 1.8. A higher ranking was spoiled in particular by only adequate battery performance, which is much better in its successor. However, the Pixel Watch 2 did not make it into the most recent test series.
- The Apple Watch 8, despite being less accurate in route measurement, still managed to take the first place in Stiftung Warentest's technology tests for smartwatches.
- Google, known for its Pixel series, also has a contender in this category with the Google Pixel Watch, which performed quite well in previous tests.
- Surprisingly, the Apple Watch Ultra, despite its high price, did not perform better than the more budget-friendly Apple Watch SE in Stiftung Warentest's smartwatch tests.
- Among non-Apple smartwatches, Huawei is also represented, with the Huawei smartwatch scoring well in various categories in Stiftung Warentest's technology tests.
Source: www.ntv.de
