DT Next Tech | On World Health Day, check out five smartwatches that help you ace your wellness goals

CHENNAI: April 7 has been observed as World Health Day by the WHO since 1950. It’s become an important day to draw worldwide attention to wellness and public health ever since.

Smartwatches have become a key wellness accessory in modern lifestyles. Over the last decade, these wearables have added newer capabilities and improved their overall accuracy.

From SpO2 to ECG to stress and sleep tracking, wearables have added invaluable daily insights that help us meet our wellness goals. We round up some of the best wearables across price points that tick key boxes:

Under 50K

Apple Watch 10: The newest Apple Watch marks a significant upgrade over its predecessor.

The reimagined Apple Watch 2024 edition, is thinner and lighter than its predecessor and features a large, 1.96-inch display that’s even larger than the Apple Watch Ultra 2. It comes with faster charging (80% battery in 30 minutes). One of the key wellness features on the Apple Watch 10 is sleep apnea tracking that uses the data from the watch’s accelerometer to check for breathing disturbances during sleep. The Vitals app is an easy reference dashboard that identifies changes in your daily health metrics from blood oxygen, respiratory rate, wrist temperatures and sleep duration. (Rs 46,900 onwards)

Under 40K

Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra: A recent price drop on Amazon has seen one of the most rugged and premium smartwatches drop under Rs 40K. Crafted for the outdoorsy and the adventurous, this watch can withstand up to 55 degree centigrade heat. It’s ready for your diving and mountain trips with its unique ‘titanium + cushion’ design and sapphire crystal glass. At its heart is a powerful 3nm processor that’s backed by a BioActive Sensor for wellness tracking backed with Galaxy AI insights that analyses key indicators of your overall condition and gives you a daily score. Battery life (up to 100 hours) sweetens the deal. We also dig the Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA) Sensor on your watch, that allows you to keep tabs on your body composition. (Rs 36,740)

Under 30K

Garmin Forerunner 165: Garmin enjoys a cult following among serious runners and fitness enthusiasts. The Forerunner 165 series delivers some of Garmin’s key features at a sub Rs 30K price tag. The Forerunner 165 is a great running accessory with insightful metrics like GPS, pace, distance and wrist-based heart rate. Garmin’s Morning Report reviews your sleep and also summarises your training outlook for the day. This wearable also tracks more than 25 built-in activities, including cycling and swimming. You can opt for the Forerunner 165 Music that allows you to download songs and playlists from apps like Spotify for phone-free listening during your runs. (Rs 26,990)

Under 20K

OnePlus Watch 2r: One of our favourite Wear OS powered smartwatches. We like the Gunmetal Gray with its black strap and matte black chassis. The dual-tone chronographic markings on the 2r adds to its style quotient. The 2r is geared for rugged lifestyles too – it’s IP68 certified for dust and water resistance. One of our favourite features is the vibrant 1.43inch AMOLED display (466 x 466 pixels) that is identical to its predecessor. It peaks at 1000 nits and offers excellent visibility. The watch is kitted with precision dual-frequency GPS usually found in high-end fitness trackers. It tracks multiple wellness parameters like VO2 Max, heart rate, and blood oxygen (Rs 15,999)

Under 10K

Amazfit Active Edge: One of the most stylish and rugged (with 10ATM water resistance) smartwatches in the sub Rs 10K segment. It comes in three cool colour options: Lava Black, Mint Green, and Midnight Pulse. This smartwatch flaunts a 1.32-inch LTPO LCD screen with 360 x 360 pixels resolution and an anti-fingerprint coating on the touchscreen. Amazfit is playing up the battery life of this smartwatch – up to 16 days. Wellness features include SpO2, stress, steps and sleep tracking (Rs 7,999)