Smartwatches are great tools for staying on top of your notifications, tracking your activity, and more. However, nothing beats that classic look of an analog watch strapped to your wrist. Analog watches are simple, classy, and look much better than most smartwatches when you’re dressing up. If you want a wearable that looks like an analog watch but can also track your activity and give you notifications, look no further — we’ve rounded up some of the best hybrid smartwatches on the market.
Best hybrid smartwatches:
Fossil Hybrid HR
The Fossil Hybrid HR is the best hybrid smartwatch you can buy. It has an e-ink display, just like your old Pebble smartwatch. This allows it to last over two weeks on a single charge.
I wouldn’t recommend buying the Hybrid HR for its fitness features — I found the heart rate sensor to be erratic, and there are no GPS options here (onboard or connected GPS). Sleep tracking is not great either. However, I think the Fossil Hybrid HR is one of the best looking smartwatches you can buy. That e-ink screen is seriously wonderful to use, and the fact that it has a display that doesn’t stand out too much makes it even more useful.
Garmin Vivomove 2019
We have yet to review the Garmin Vivomove 3, but if it’s anything like the Vivomove HR it’ll be one of the best hybrid smartwatches around. The Vivomove 3 line features a hidden display that only activates when you need it. There are more expensive models in the Garmin Vivomove 2019 refreshed lineup, but the cheaper Vivomove 3 and 3S only have one screen.
They all come with plenty of advanced features compared to the original Vivomove. They all have pulse oximeter sensors, Garmin’s Body Battery feature, Garmin Pay, connected GPS, five-day battery in smartwatch mode, and up to an additional week of battery life in time mode.
There are a total of 16 new styles of Vivomove 2019 watches. The 42mm Vivomove Luxe is the most luxurious model, sporting a domed sapphire crystal lens on the front. The Vivomove Style features an aluminum bezel and case with a Gorilla Glass lens and comes with either silicone or woven nylon straps. The Vivomove 3S (39mm) and Vivomove 3 (44mm) both come with silicone straps, stainless steel cases, as well as a single AMOLED display and retail for $249.
Skagen Connected
Skagen has a number of great hybrid smartwatches under the Skagen Connected brand. The tried-and-true favorite at Android Authority is the Skagen Jorn, but the Holst colorways launched at CES 2019 are hard to pass up, too. For women looking for a great hybrid smartwatch, the Skagen Mini Hald is a great option.
No matter which model you choose, you’ll get three physical buttons on the side that can be programmed to control your phone’s music/volume, act as a camera shutter button, show the date or a secondary time zone, or show your daily step count.
In addition, the watches provide vibration alerts for text, calls, and emails, and they’ll keep track of your sleep if you choose to wear it at night. They even run on a standard CR2412 coin cell battery, so you won’t need to charge them.
Withings Steel HR Sport
The Withings Steel HR Sport is Withings’ beefiest hybrid smartwatch. In our opinion it’s not nearly the prettiest (see below), but it’s the most powerful by far.
Like the Steel HR before it, the Steel HR Sport has a small digital display that shows you your daily activity stats, heart rate, and smartphone notifications. It’s also water resistant down to 50 meters, records your VO2 Max, and lasts a whopping 25 days on a single charge.
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Fossil Carlie and Fossil Neutra
Fossil has one of the biggest selections of hybrid smartwatches out there, and our favorites are the Fossil Carlie and Fossil Neutra.
Announced at CES 2019, both hybrid smartwatches track your fitness, give you smartphone notifications, and have three customizable buttons on the right side of the casing.
The Fossil Carlie will appeal to people with smaller wrists. The stainless steel casing is just 37mm wide and supports 16mm interchangeable straps. It’s also one of the best looking hybrid watches we’ve ever seen.
The best Fossil smartwatches: Fossil Gen 5, Hybrid HR, and more (October 2020)
The Fossil Neutra is a bit bigger at 37mm wide, though it also supports 16mm interchangeable straps. It offers all the same functionality as the Carlie model, just in a different form factor.
Withings Move and Withings Move ECG
Withings knocked it out of the park with its latest hybrid smartwatches, the Withings Move and Move ECG. Both hybrid smartwatches are on the cheaper side, but they shouldn’t be overlooked if you just need your basic activity metrics tracked.
See also: Withings Move review | Withings Move ECG review
Neither device has a heart rate sensor, though they both offer connected GPS functionality. They’ll also keep track of your steps taken, calories burned, sleep, distance traveled, and elevation. Of course, the Withings Move ECG also has an electrocardiogram on board so you can keep track of your heart health.
The only downside is that neither device supports smartphone notifications. They’re basically just fitness trackers disguised as analog watches.
The standard Withings Move can actually be customized on Withings.com, allowing you to choose your own dial, watch face, strap, and case color. The Move ECG can’t be customized, unfortunately.
That’s it for this roundup of the best hybrid watches. Don’t forget to check out more of our excellent smartwatch coverage below!
