When it comes to smartwatches you can use with Android phones, there are two primary options: models running Google's Wear OS platform (formerly Android Wear), and Samsung's Galaxy/Gear watches that run Tizen OS. Just like with iOS and Android, each platform has its own advantages and disadvantages that have to be considered.
Read MoreGrab a Samsung Gear S3 Frontier for $189 ($41 off)
Ever since Samsung forsook Wear OS and decided to blaze its own trail with Tizen, the company has been churning out some great smartwatches. The Gear S3 Frontier may be three years old now, but it still remains stylish and performant today as a smart companion for your phone. After fluctuating quite a bit on price lately, it has settled down to $189 at Amazon.
Read MoreGalaxy Watch and Watch Active pick up assortment of new features
Samsung smartwatches are popularly associated with their rotating bezels, but the Galaxy Watch Active came out with an inert glass bezel, embracing a monumental design shift to some users’ dismay. Its unanticipated follow-up met halfway with a new touch bezel that emulates its mechanical peer using haptic vibrations. Turns out, you can get this interactive bezel on the original Watch Active, and an update is already underway to enable it.
Read MoreGalaxy Watch Active2 review: Dancing on the grave of Wear OS
There's no denying that Apple makes the best all-around smartwatches, especially if you care about fitness, so Android-compatible watches continue to battle for second place. The most recent entry from the Wear OS camp is the fifth-gen Fossil Q, and while that watch is a decent step up from every other device with the same software, it still hasn't addressed some of the platform's core problems — poor fitness tracking, degrading app library, and so on.
Samsung's new watch is a follow-up to the Galaxy Watch Active, which was (by most accounts) the best overall smartwatch for Android devices.
Read MorePopular
The latest Galaxy Watch Active update makes swim tracking a whole lot better
Samsung launched the Galaxy Watch Active alongside the S10 earlier this year, positively surprising us with a great all-round wearable product. Its the first Tizen watch to introduce Samsung's new OneUI, which has since made its way to the other smartwatches in the company's lineup. Now, the Active is first in line to receive another software update and with a slew of new capabilities such as a night mode, automatic swimming recognition, a new low heart rate alert, improved Bixby actions, and some general UX improvements.
Read MoreGet Google Assistant on your Samsung Galaxy smartwatch with GAssist
It can easily be argued that Samsung's Tizen smartwatches are better than Wear OS competitors in a number of ways, but the voice assistant is not one of them. Bixby will never be able to compete with Google Assistant in this space, so it's always been a bit of a blow for Samsung watch owners. Until now, that is, as a new app is bringing the Assistant to the Galaxy Watch and others Tizen running 4.0 and above.
Read MoreSwatch sues Samsung over cloned watch faces in Galaxy Store
Some of the most iconic watch faces in the world are connected to incredibly expensive watches, but a smartwatch can imitate those spendy devices with a little bit of code. Swatch isn't very happy about that, and it's accusing Samsung of knowingly profiting from clones of Swatch designs for devices like the Galaxy Watch. It cites numerous examples of allegedly copied designs in its filings, including one that came from a custom $650,000 watch.
Read MoreSamsung unveils health-focused Galaxy Watch Active with blood-pressure monitoring, will cost $200
Health tracking has never been a top focus for Samsung's smartwatches, but that changes today. Samsung unveiled a slew of new wearable products today, including a sleeker version of last year's Galaxy Watch — the fittingly-named Galaxy Watch Active.
Read MoreSamsung Gear Sport drops to $159 ($120 off) at Best Buy and Amazon
If you've been looking for a capable smartwatch that won't break the bank, then this deal is for you. Right now, you can grab a Samsung Gear Sport for $159.99, a whopping $120 off. This deal is available at Best Buy and on Amazon.
Read More[Update: Gear Sport, too] Gear S3 gets a substantial Tizen update full of UI improvements and other changes
Gear S3 owners were greeted with a large software update for their watches today. Not only does the ~300MB file mark the arrival of Tizen v4, but it adds a host of other improvements and changes. We'll take a look through the changelog first.
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