4 Smartwatches You Should Avoid, According To Consumer Reports

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In the world of gadgets and electronics, sometimes, there are things that are well worth your hard-earned money, and there are things that are not. Whether because the hardware is built or assembled poorly, or the software causes headaches — Windows 11, anyone? You could categorically pick just about any device on the market and separate the good from the bad, but where it makes the most sense is when you're talking about a more practical device, such as a smartwatch.

Generally designed to help track your health and fitness, receive notifications on your wrist when you're away from your phone and, yes, of course, check the time, a smartwatch is like a super-slimmed-down smartphone of sorts. But not all smartwatches are created equal. There are budget-friendly or cheap smartwatches that punch well above their price brackets. There are some really expensive options on the other side of the spectrum. There are even a few balanced options between those two choices. Can you really tell the difference between cheap and luxury smartwatches? Probably. 

But a great place to check the ratings or estimated usefulness of a device, regardless of its cost, is on Consumer Reports, and, as you might expect, they've also put together a list of some of the best smartwatches and fitness trackers. Rather than look at the top of that list, however, let's work our way backwards and start from the bottom — these are the smartwatches you should probably avoid, according to CR.

Available at Walmart and Amazon for under $40, it shouldn't be much of a surprise that the 3Plus Vibe Plus (Gen 2) smartwatch is dead last in Consumer Reports' rankings. It's super cheap, sure, and has most of what you'd want in a smartwatch. It also works with both iOS and Android devices. The problem, according to CR, is that it's not all that smart. It also offers predictably short and less than serviceable battery life. It has a 1.72-inch "HD" display with built-in GPS for location tracking and a variety of health monitoring features. There's no mention of the software installed, though, so it's likely proprietary.

There aren't many Amazon reviews to speak of, just a 1-star review and one anonymous 4-star review at the time of writing, which doesn't bode well. At Walmart, it has 95 reviews total with a 3.1 out of 5 stars overall rating. A whopping 35% of those reviews are 1-star versus 39% at 5 stars, so almost as many unhappy owners as happy. Some people do say they love it and that it offers great value, but it very much seems like your mileage will vary here. At any rate, Consumer Reports does not recommend this one.

If you know the brand, Polar is actually pretty solid for fitness tracking devices, but as is evident by the ranking of the Ignite 3, not all of its devices are hits. Consumer Reports didn't rank this one very high on its recommended list either; in fact, it's nearly at the bottom. It does offer some reliable ease-of-use features, has decent battery life, and comes with a host of fitness functions (common for Polar), but CR says it's not all that smart. That's a trend with lower-ranked devices, clearly.

What's odd is that the Polar Ignite 3 is $400 at full price, so it's not like this is a ridiculously cheap option. It features a vibrant 1.28-inch AMOLED display protected by Gorilla Glass 3.0, so it's tough, and has heart-rate monitoring, sleep monitoring and real-time voice guidance. It's no slouch in the features department. It syncs via Bluetooth with Android and iOS devices and has built-in GPS. Polar's smartwatches use a proprietary OS, as well, called Polar OS.

But user reviews might be more forgiving. On Amazon, Ignite 3 has over 2,500 reviews total with an aggregated score of 4 out of 5 stars. It's the first indication that maybe people can disagree with critic ratings. Especially since there are quite a few people who mention it "does everything [they] need,"  the fitness features are "accurate," and that it's the "Goldilocks of watches." Nevertheless, there are some negative reviews there, too, and Consumer Reports does not recommend this one. If you do like Polar, you'll be happy to know the Vantage M3, Grit X2, and Grit X2 Pro all scored higher.

Another brand that I'm personally surprised to see in the lowest Consumer Reports rankings is Amazfit because, generally, the company makes solid budget-friendly smartwatches and devices. It should be noted that Amazfit's premium devices ranked much higher, including the Amazfit Balance 2, Balance 2 XT, T-Rex 3, Bip 6, Active 2 Square, and a couple of others. But way down near the bottom is the Amazfit Band 7. CR ranked it low for smart support and extra features, though it has decent battery life and is pretty easy to use.

Band 7 is classified as more of a fitness tracker than a smartwatch; it looks like the old-school Fitbits. It's also $50 at full price, so not too expensive. At Amazon, it has over 9,300 reviews with an aggregated score of 3.9 out of 5 stars, with a lot of people mentioning it offers solid value and decent quality for the price.

As for features, it has a 1.47-inch AMOLED always-on display, gets up to 18 days of battery use on a single charge, has a wide variety of sports and health tracking modes and has Amazon Alexa built in with the brand's Zepp OS. It is compatible with Android and iOS devices, and the Zepp OS is proprietary. At the risk of repeating, Consumer Reports doesn't recommend this one. If you want to go with Amazfit, check out some of the brand's more premium smartwatches.

Yet another brand you might not expect to see at the bottom of the list is Garmin. The company makes some excellent Fitbit alternatives for fitness tracking, like the Forerunner series. The Garmin Venu X1, Forerunner 570, and Vivoactive 6 all ranked higher — and earned solid recommendations from Consumer Reports. But the uniquely designed Garmin Vivomove Trend was not so beloved. CR knocked its score for mediocre battery life, a lack of features and a flawed "smart" experience.

Normally priced at $270, the Vivomove Trend is a stylish, attractive watch with a full-dial touchscreen display — the touchscreen rests behind the analog dials. Garmin says it offers up to five days of battery life, shows calls and notifications, and pairs with Android and iOS devices. It doesn't have built-in GPS, but it can use connected location services when paired with a phone. Due to the exclusive design, it doesn't really have software in the classic sense, but it is proprietary. You interact using touches and swipes.

Amazon reviewers have given the Vivomove Trend a 4.1 out of 5 stars, with over 860 reviews total. This may be another instance where people's opinions diverge from the critics. Most comments mention that it's a "great watch," and that it's "classy and easy to use." It's certainly a looker, that's for sure, but Consumer Reports doesn't recommend this one either.