What does the Apple Watch SE 3 give up compared to the Apple Watch Series 11?

At $249 (vs $399 for Series 11), the Apple Watch SE 3 omits the Always-On display mode (you raise your wrist to wake the screen), the electrical ECG sensor, blood oxygen/wrist temperature sensing, and sleep apnea notifications. However, it shares fast S10-class responsiveness, 50m swimproofing, optical heart-rate alerts, Apple Pay, and Crash/Fall Detection.

What is the best smartwatch under $100 with built-in GPS?

The Amazfit Active 2 ($99) is the standout sub-$100 winner: it features a stainless-steel bezel, a 2,000-nit 1.32-inch AMOLED touchscreen, BioTracker 6.0 optical heart rate, 10-day battery life, Bluetooth calling, and even free downloadable offline maps with turn-by-turn directions.

Should I buy a $59 fitness band (like Xiaomi Smart Band 9 or Galaxy Fit 3) or a budget smartwatch?

Buy a slim pill band like the Xiaomi Smart Band 9 ($49, 21-day battery) or Samsung Galaxy Fit 3 ($59, 13-day battery) if you want a featherweight 15–18g tracker that disappears during sleep and gym workouts and you always carry your phone for GPS. Step up to the Fitbit Charge 6 ($159) or Amazfit Active 2 ($99) if you want standalone built-in GPS.

Best budget smartwatches & fitness trackers under $250

#1 pickValueFair at retail

Apple Watch SE 3

The review score is high relative to street price. Prioritise seasonal deals and bundle discounts.

Editor's Take: At $249, the Apple Watch SE 3 delivers 85% of the flagship Apple Watch experience for roughly 60% of the price—combining fast S10-class processor responsiveness, 50m swimproofing, Apple Pay, iMessage integration, and life-saving Crash and Fall Detection. You give up the Always-On display, ECG, and blood oxygen/apnea sensors, making it the unbeatable value pick for first-time iPhone watch buyers and Family Setup kids' watches.

$249S10 SiP / Crash Detection / watchOS1y 1m oldTarget $237

Battery Life: Up to 18 hrs all-day battery life with fast charging support
Sensors & GPS: Optical heart sensor, high/low HR & irregular rhythm alerts, Crash & Fall Detection, GPS
Display: Retina LTPO OLED display (up to 1,000 nits)
Water & Durability: 50m water resistance (swimproof)

#2 pickValueFair at retail

Amazfit Active 2

The review score is high relative to street price. Prioritise seasonal deals and bundle discounts.

Editor's Take: The $99 Amazfit Active 2 rewrites what a sub-$100 smartwatch can do: it pairs a stainless-steel bezel and a blindingly bright 2,000-nit 1.32-inch AMOLED touchscreen with BioTracker 6.0 heart-rate sensing, 10-day battery life, Bluetooth calling, and free downloadable offline maps with turn-by-turn directions. Nothing else under $100 comes close to its outdoor and daily versatility.

$992,000-nit AMOLED / Offline maps / BioTracker 6.01y 10m oldTarget $94

Battery Life: Up to 10 days typical use / up to 19 days Battery Saver / 21 hrs continuous GPS
Sensors & GPS: BioTracker 6.0 PPG biometric sensor, barometric altimeter, 5-satellite circularly-polarized GPS
Display: 1.32-inch (466x466) AMOLED touchscreen (up to 2,000 nits peak brightness)
Water & Durability: 5 ATM (50m swimproof)

multi-day batteryvalue buyershybrid endurancelightweight comfort

Full review Worth it?

#3 pickDealFair at retail

Fitbit Charge 6

Still credible for daily tracking, but only compelling with a meaningful retail discount.

Editor's Take: The Fitbit Charge 6 is the best all-around fitness tracker on the market, combining a 30-gram aluminum band with Google Wallet tap-to-pay, YouTube Music controls, ECG, cEDA stress scans, built-in GPS, and a machine-learning heart-rate algorithm ported from the Pixel Watch that is up to 60% more accurate during HIIT and spinning. With 7-day battery life at $159, it beats smartwatches costing twice as much for pure wellness tracking.

$159ECG & EDA sensors / Google Maps & Wallet / 7-day battery3y 1m oldTarget $151

Battery Life: Up to 7 days typical battery life (Always-On display optional)
Sensors & GPS: PurePulse ML optical HR (60% more accurate during HIIT), ECG app, cEDA stress scan, SpO2, built-in GPS + GLONASS
Display: 1.04-inch color AMOLED touchscreen + haptic side button
Water & Durability: 5 ATM (water-resistant to 50m)

Pixel & Android usersFitbit readinessclean Wear OSvalue buyers

Full review Worth it?

#4 pickValueFair at retail

Xiaomi Smart Band 9

The review score is high relative to street price. Prioritise seasonal deals and bundle discounts.

Editor's Take: At just $49, the Xiaomi Smart Band 9 is the pound-for-pound champion of ultra-budget fitness trackers, upgrading to a sandblasted aluminum alloy frame, a 1,200-nit 60Hz AMOLED pill screen, a linear vibration motor, and a 21-day battery life. An upgraded dual-LED PPG module improves heart-rate accuracy by 16% over the Band 8, making it an unbeatable impulse buy for sleep and step tracking.

$491,200-nit 60Hz AMOLED / Aluminum frame / 21-day battery2y 3m oldTarget $47

Battery Life: Up to 21 days typical use / up to 9 days with Always-On Display (1-hour full recharge)
Sensors & GPS: Upgraded dual-LED PPG optical HR & SpO2 (+16% accuracy), ambient light sensor, linear vibration motor
Display: 1.62-inch (192x490) 60Hz AMOLED pill display (up to 1,200 nits peak brightness)
Water & Durability: 5 ATM (50m swimproof)

value buyerslightweight comfortfirst smartwatch

Full review Worth it?

#5 pickDealFair at retail

Amazfit Balance

Still credible for daily tracking, but only compelling with a meaningful retail discount.

Editor's Take: The Amazfit Balance is the undisputed feature-per-dollar king under $200, packing a gorgeous 1.5-inch 1,500-nit AMOLED screen, circularly polarized dual-band 6-satellite GPS, wrist BIA body composition scanning, Bluetooth phone calling, and 14-day battery life into a featherweight 35-gram aluminum frame. Working seamlessly with both iPhone and Android via the subscription-free Zepp app, it embarrasses smartwatches costing twice its price.

$1991.5-inch AMOLED / Dual-band GPS / 14-day battery3y 2m oldTarget $189

Battery Life: Up to 14 days typical use / up to 25 days Battery Saver / 26 hrs Accuracy dual-band GPS
Sensors & GPS: BioTracker 5.0 PPG (8PD + 2LED), BIA body composition sensor, circularly-polarized dual-band 6-satellite GPS
Display: 1.5-inch (480x480) AMOLED touchscreen (up to 1,500 nits) with anti-glare bezel
Water & Durability: 5 ATM (50m swimproof)

multi-day batteryvalue buyershybrid endurancelightweight comfort

Full review Worth it?

#6 pickValueFair at retail

Withings ScanWatch 2

The review score is high relative to street price. Prioritise seasonal deals and bundle discounts.

Editor's Take: For professionals and mechanical-watch lovers who refuse to wear a glowing digital computer with a dress shirt, the Withings ScanWatch 2 conceals FDA-cleared single-lead ECG, SpO2, and 24/7 TempTech baseline temperature tracking beneath a classic Swiss-styled analog dial with anti-reflective sapphire glass. Its 30-day battery life per charge is phenomenal, though its tiny 0.63-inch grayscale PMOLED sub-dial is meant for quick health checks rather than workout intervals.

$349Hybrid analog + OLED / ECG / 30-day battery3y 2m oldTarget $332

Battery Life: Up to 30 days on a single 2-hour USB-C dock charge
Sensors & GPS: TempTech24/7 baseline temperature module, FDA-cleared single-lead ECG, SpO2, multi-wavelength PPG
Display: Classic analog dial hands + 0.63-inch grayscale OLED sub-dial + Digital Crown
Water & Durability: 5 ATM (50m swimproof)

multi-day batteryvalue buyershybrid endurance

Full review Worth it?

#7 pickValueFair at retail

Whoop 4.0

The review score is high relative to street price. Prioritise seasonal deals and bundle discounts.

Editor's Take: By stripping away screens, watch faces, and buzzing notifications altogether, the Whoop 4.0 focuses 100% on continuous 24/7 biometric recovery, sleep staging, and cardiovascular strain. Its slide-on waterproof battery pack means you never take the strap off to charge, and its HRV/strain coaching remains the gold standard for competitive athletes—provided you are comfortable with its ongoing annual membership model.

$239Screen-free recovery & strain strap / On-wrist battery pack5y 2m oldTarget $227

Battery Life: 4 to 5 days per charge with slide-on waterproof wireless battery pack (never remove to charge)
Sensors & GPS: 5 LEDs (3 green, 1 red, 1 IR) + 4 photodiodes (HR, HRV, SpO2, respiratory rate), skin temp, haptic alarm
Display: Screen-free wearable strap & Any-Wear body sensor pod
Water & Durability: IP68 dustproof & water-resistant to 10m for up to 2 hours

24/7 sleep & recoveryscreen-free comfortHRV tracking

Full review Worth it?

#8 pickValueFair at retail

Apple Watch SE 2

The review score is high relative to street price. Prioritise seasonal deals and bundle discounts.

Editor's Take: Frequently discounted below $189 at major retailers, the Apple Watch SE 2 remains the lowest-cost ticket into genuine watchOS 11 compatibility, Apple Pay, optical heart-rate rhythm alerts, and Crash Detection. If you own an iPhone and simply want reliable wrist notifications, Apple Fitness+ ring tracking, and swimproof durability on a tight budget, its value is hard to fault.

$249S8 SiP / Crash Detection / 50m Swimproof4y 2m oldTarget $237

Battery Life: Up to 18 hours all-day battery life
Sensors & GPS: 2nd-gen optical HR sensor, High/Low HR & irregular rhythm notifications, Crash & Fall Detection, Compass, GPS
Display: 40mm or 44mm Retina LTPO OLED display (up to 1,000 nits)
Water & Durability: 50m water resistance (swimproof)

iPhone userswatchOS appsdaily health & safetyvalue buyers

Full review Worth it?

#9 pickValueFair at retail

Garmin Lily 2 Active

The review score is high relative to street price. Prioritise seasonal deals and bundle discounts.

Editor's Take: With the Garmin Lily 2 Active , Garmin finally added built-in GPS, two physical side buttons, and 9-day battery life to its petite 38mm jewelry-inspired anodized aluminum case. When idle, the display vanishes behind a patterned lens; flick your wrist and you get Garmin Pay, Sleep Coach, HRV status, and true untethered outdoor run tracking in a 29-gram package.

$29938mm petite metal case / Built-in GPS / 9-day battery2y 1m oldTarget $284

Battery Life: Up to 9 days in smartwatch mode / up to 9 hrs in GPS mode
Sensors & GPS: Garmin Elevate Gen 4 optical HR, HRV status, Pulse Ox, built-in GPS/GLONASS/Galileo
Display: 1.0-inch (240x201) hidden liquid crystal display behind patterned lens + 2 physical side buttons
Water & Durability: 5 ATM (50m swimproof)

runners & triathletesdual-band GPSmulti-week battery

Full review Worth it?

#10 pickValueFair at retail

Fitbit Inspire 3

The review score is high relative to street price. Prioritise seasonal deals and bundle discounts.

Editor's Take: At just 18 grams with a bright color AMOLED touchscreen and a genuine 10-day battery life, the Fitbit Inspire 3 disappears on your wrist day and night. It skips built-in GPS and ECG to stay under $100, making it the ideal set-and-forget band for step counting, Active Zone Minutes, and automatic sleep stage logging across iOS and Android.

$9910-day battery / Color AMOLED / Ultralight 18g band4y 2m oldTarget $94

Battery Life: Up to 10 days on a single charge (3 days with Always-On display)
Sensors & GPS: 24/7 optical HR, SpO2 blood oxygen, skin temperature variation, breathing rate, sleep stages
Display: 0.76-inch color AMOLED touchscreen with ambient light sensor
Water & Durability: 5 ATM (water-resistant to 50m)

Pixel & Android usersFitbit readinessclean Wear OStrail & outdoor athletes

Full review Worth it?

Best budget smartwatches & fitness trackers under $250

What Matters Before You Buy

How We Rank These Wearables

Apple Watch SE 3

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the Apple Watch SE 3 give up compared to the Apple Watch Series 11?

What is the best smartwatch under $100 with built-in GPS?

Should I buy a $59 fitness band (like Xiaomi Smart Band 9 or Galaxy Fit 3) or a budget smartwatch?

Editorial Team

Sanjiv Sathiah

Amazfit Active 2

Fitbit Charge 6

Xiaomi Smart Band 9

Amazfit Balance

Withings ScanWatch 2

Whoop 4.0

Apple Watch SE 2

Garmin Lily 2 Active

Fitbit Inspire 3