X
Tech
Why you can trust ZDNET : ZDNET independently tests and researches products to bring you our best recommendations and advice. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Our process

'ZDNET Recommends': What exactly does it mean?

ZDNET's recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. We gather data from the best available sources, including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews sites. And we pore over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the products and services we’re assessing.

When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or service, we may earn affiliate commissions. This helps support our work, but does not affect what we cover or how, and it does not affect the price you pay. Neither ZDNET nor the author are compensated for these independent reviews. Indeed, we follow strict guidelines that ensure our editorial content is never influenced by advertisers.

ZDNET's editorial team writes on behalf of you, our reader. Our goal is to deliver the most accurate information and the most knowledgeable advice possible in order to help you make smarter buying decisions on tech gear and a wide array of products and services. Our editors thoroughly review and fact-check every article to ensure that our content meets the highest standards. If we have made an error or published misleading information, we will correct or clarify the article. If you see inaccuracies in our content, please report the mistake via this form.

Close

Redirected: Best smartwatch Black Friday deals 2022: Add style to your wrist

Save up to $250 on select smartwatches from Samsung, Garmin, Apple, and more. These are the top smartwatch deals for iPhone and Android users.
Written by Matthew Miller, Contributing Writer
blackfridaysmartwatches.png

Smartwatches have grown in popularity, especially with their advanced sensors for tracking your overall health and wellness. During the holidays, a smartwatch can especially motivate and inspire you to stay active.

We will constantly update the listings below as availability and new promotions hit the shelves.


What do you use your smartwatch for? Do you use it to track your workout numbers? Connect it to your Bluetooth earbuds to listen to Spotify on the go? Take phone calls and text messages on it? If all of that sounds like you, then the Apple Watch SE is a more than suitable option -- especially if you use an iPhone.

The Apple Watch SE is Apple's "smartwatch for everyone" offering. It doesn't have the flashy wrist bands and big display like the higher-end Series 7, but it gets the job done for anyone who wants an iPhone companion that just works. It's also much cheaper than the Series 7 or 6 Apple Watches.

An Amazfit watch is well-constructed, boasting a brilliant display and a long battery life. There is an incredible amount of power, capability, and functionality in the Amazfit GTR 2 model, and for only $129.99, it's an easy wearable to gift this holiday season.

The companion smartphone application, Zepp, has an overwhelming amount of data collected from the watch that you can analyze to better understand your health and fitness levels. There are coaching tips, guidance on how to improve your lifestyle, and more.

The Amazfit GTR 2, as you'll see in our full review, has Amazon Alexa built-in, blood oxygen monitoring, sleep tracking, music storage, and much more. It's an incredible, affordable smartwatch.

If you need a rugged smartwatch that can take a beating and still provide you with a vast amount of health and wellness data, then the Amazfit T-Rex Pro is perfect watch for you. It's very affordable this holiday season and it definitely excels in many areas with integrated GPS, long battery life, high-resolution display, and more.

The Zepp smartphone app, available for both Android and iOS platforms, is extremely powerful and almost overwhelming with the amount of data available for you to view and understand. There is no third-party app support, but everything you need for health and wellness tracking is installed on the watch.

As we discussed in our full review, the T-Rex Pro is rugged device that's priced hundreds less than other high-end outdoor enthusiast watches and yet still stack up.

While the Garmin Fenix 6 series is one of the best available sports watches, the solar versions take it to the next level with support for charging via available light sources. Solar charging can add three days in smartwatch mode or an extra hour in GPS tracking mode. 

The 42 and 47 mm Pro watches cost $549.99, while the 51 mm is also $250 off but at a price of $699.99 (which is still much less than its $949.99 regular price). 

The Garmin Fenix 6 series watches are arguably the best from Garmin for the serious athlete. The standard and sapphire models are now $200 off, which is an incredible discount on a watch that will last you for years.

Garmin continues to update the Garmin Fenix 6 series, so the latest and greatest features are there to help you reach your goals. The watches also include support for offline music, Garmin Pay, third-party apps, detailed sleep tracking, golf course tracking, and much more.

For a limited time, Best Buy has the Fitbit Versa 2 smartwatch listed for only $119.95 ($60 off). For the price, you're getting a smartwatch with sleep measuring, an always-on display, 24/7 heart rate monitoring, on-screen workout tracking, and even water resistance (up to 50 meters).

The Fitbit ecosystem is well-supported, with many people on the platform to help motivate you toward achieving your daily activity and fitness goals. The smartphone app is fantastic and offers insight, recommendations, and understanding of the data collected by the watches. Android smartphone users enjoy a better experience with support for quick text message replies, but these new Fitbit watches also work well with iOS for most functions.

Samsung's Galaxy Watch4 comes in two different styles and two different sizes, with options for LTE as well. There is currently a $50 savings on all models, so the price now ranges from $199.99 (Watch4 size 40 mm) to $329.99 (Watch4 Classic size 46mm).

The Galaxy Watch4 is arguably better than the Apple Watch in many regards, especially since this new watch is powered by Google's WearOS. We already see Google Maps, Google Pay, Google Keep, and more available on the watch. It has a vast number of available watch faces, the ability to charge on the go on the back of a smartphone, and advanced health and wellness tracking capabilities. 

Although the Samsung Galaxy Watch4 is now available, you can get serious savings on the previous generation with this very capable smartwatch. The Galaxy Watch3 size 41mm is available now for just $179.99.

The Galaxy Watch3 runs Samsung Tizen OS, which is fully optimized for a smartwatch interface. It pairs with both Android and iPhone devices, so anyone can use the watch. It features health and wellness tracking, messaging and call support, Samsung Pay, and much more.

If you're looking for a smartwatch that will keep up with your field work, then the Garmin Instinct is a great option at just $169.99. This rugged watch is designed to take a beating, and its battery will last you a couple of weeks with standard use or up to 16 hours in GPS tracking mode.

It includes Garmin Connect, an incredible application that gathers all of the data from the watch and provides you with reports, a network of friends to connect with, and more.

As always, we will be monitoring all available deals on smartwatches over the next month.  Be sure to follow this page for the most up-to-date promotions.

Editorial standards