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We test smartwatches in the real world, focusing on key features from fitness tracking to connectivity that you’ll use every day. Starting with the watch itself, we check the overall performance and responsiveness. Is there any lag when navigating the menus? Is the touch screen responsive? Do applications launch quickly?
Then we check if it has all the functions you expect for the price. This can be everything from music playback controls to cellular connectivity so you can use the watch away from your phone or an always-on display. All smartwatches need to connect to a phone, so we also evaluate how easy it is to navigate the accompanying software.
Durability and design
Smartwatches are something you wear on your body, so we evaluate how comfortable they are when wearing them. We also know that everyone has a different wrist size, so we try to see how it fits and feels on a variety of people.
Then we look at how it holds up to the wear and tear of everyday life. Some smartwatches offer additional durability such as dust resistance, or water resistance suitable for activities such as diving, and we will test this ourselves where possible.
Battery life
Battery life will vary depending on how you use your smartwatch, so we test battery life with some standard tests. We see how long it generally lasts on a single charge with features that represent typical usage, like an always-on display, sleep tracking, and outdoor exercise with GPS.
That little circle is the temperature sensor located on the back of the Galaxy Watch 5.
Accurate fitness and health sensor
We test the accuracy of smartwatch sensors in several different ways. For example, the heart rate sensor is compared with readings taken from a chest strap, which is considered the gold standard in consumer heart rate tracking. We compare the watch readings with the band to measure your resting heart rate, and your heart rate during a variety of heart-based activities like running or cycling. We check to see how long it takes to connect to a GPS signal when exercising outdoors.
Other health sensors, such as the blood oxygen sensor, are compared to a pulse oximeter to obtain spot readings where possible.