
Amazfit
The best $100 smartwatch you can buy

Garmin
Best wellness-focused Garmin smartwatch
Amazfit Active 2
Amazfit Active 2
Amazfit Active 2
Round 44mm stainless-steel case, just 10mm thick and light enough for all-day and overnight wear. Crown plus a flat button alongside the touchscreen. Standard 20mm quick-release bands. The Premium model adds a faux-leather strap; the Standard ships with silicone.
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Garmin Venu 3
Garmin Venu 3
Garmin Venu 3
Slim round metal-bezel case in two sizes — 45mm Venu 3 and 41mm Venu 3S. Two physical buttons + touchscreen. Lightweight, comfortable for all-day and overnight wear. Range of colorways.
Amazfit Active 2
A 1.32-inch round AMOLED at 466 x 466 resolution with a 2,000-nit peak — brightness that genuinely matches flagship watches and stays readable in direct sunlight. Always-on display is supported. One quirk: the screen will not reach full brightness below 30% battery.
Garmin Venu 3
1.4-inch AMOLED on the Venu 3, 1.2-inch on the Venu 3S. Bright, vibrant, sharp. Always-on display supported. Gorilla Glass 3 protection.
Amazfit Active 2
BioTracker optical heart rate, SpO2, HRV, skin temperature, plus compass, barometer and altimeter. Resting HR and step counting are accurate; high-intensity HR drifts and sleep-stage accuracy is mediocre versus a reference device. There is no ECG and no blood-pressure sensor.
Garmin Venu 3
Elevate Gen 4 optical HR, SpO2, ECG, HRV Status, skin temperature, Body Battery, Sleep Coach, nap detection. The Venu 3's wellness suite is the deepest in any Garmin — a genuine Oura/Whoop alternative.
Amazfit Active 2
160+ sport modes including HYROX, automatic detection of 25 exercises, and a Readiness score with recovery guidance. GPS distance tracking is reliable and gets a fix in seconds; high-zone heart rate during intense workouts is the weak link.
Garmin Venu 3
80+ sport profiles + Garmin's training analytics + Morning Report + meditation/breathwork. Capable for everyday fitness; serious athletes still want the Forerunner/Fenix depth and maps.
Amazfit Active 2
Amazfit rates the 270mAh cell at 10 days typical and 5 days heavy use. Real-world testing confirms a genuine 10 days on default settings and roughly 4-5 days with always-on display and every sensor enabled. A battery-saver mode stretches it toward three weeks. Charging takes about 2 hours via a magnetic puck and USB-C; there is no wireless charging.
Garmin Venu 3
Up to 14 days smartwatch mode on the Venu 3 (~10 days on the smaller 3S). Garmin's signature multi-week battery — Trusted Reviews calls it 'set-and-forget.'
Amazfit Active 2
Zepp OS on the watch and the Zepp companion app, with a built-in speaker and microphone for calls and offline maps with navigation. It works with both iPhone and Android. Software is the watch's weak spot — functional but rough versus Garmin or Wear OS — though Amazfit ships ongoing updates that add features over time.
Garmin Venu 3
Garmin OS + Garmin Connect + Connect IQ store. Built-in speaker + microphone for voice calls and a voice assistant. Garmin Pay. Works with iOS + Android.
Amazfit Active 2
Rated to 5 ATM (50m), fine for pool and open-water swimming. The Premium model is protected by a sapphire-crystal lens — the same material Garmin uses on its $1,000-plus watches — while the Standard model uses tempered glass.
Garmin Venu 3
5 ATM (50m) water resistance. Gorilla Glass 3 + metal bezel. Fiber-reinforced polymer case. Durable for everyday wear and swim tracking — not adventure-rated like the Fenix.
Amazfit Active 2
Built-in single-band GPS across five satellite systems, Bluetooth 5.2, and Zepp Pay contactless payments on the Premium model. There is no LTE option, so the watch relies on a paired phone for connectivity.
Garmin Venu 3
Single-frequency GPS, NFC for Garmin Pay, Bluetooth, ANT+, Wi-Fi. No LTE, no on-watch maps. Phone required for connectivity and the voice features.
Amazfit Active 2
At $99 for the Standard and $129 for the sapphire-glass Premium, the Active 2 undercuts almost everything with comparable hardware. The trade is software depth: an Apple Watch SE or a Garmin gives you a more mature ecosystem and stronger analytics, but charges far more and — in the Apple Watch's case — lasts a fraction as long.
Garmin Venu 3
$449.99 launch, now widely discounted (Trusted Reviews documented £299). Competes with the Apple Watch, Galaxy Watch, Pixel Watch, and Oura/Whoop for wellness tracking.