Smartwatches are wildly popular for a reason. They offer a slew of useful tools, including fitness tracking, daily reminders, and even hands-free voice calling. But for those who prefer the timeless look of analog watch faces, the bright touchscreens of most smartwatches can be garish. That’s where hybrid smartwatches come into play.
A hybrid smartwatch combines the satisfying ticks of analog watch hands with the modern convenience of smart technology. Their designs are fashionable and more discreet compared to their beeping, glowing cousins, yet you can still sync them with your phone for fitness, scheduling, media, and more.
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When it comes to smart tech, our team at Pocket-lint likes to dive deep to find the best options. I’ve pulled together my fellow tech-heads to deliberate on what makes a hybrid smartwatch worth its price. After much discussion, testing, and reviewing, we present our favorites.
Best hybrid smartwatches: Our experts’ top picks
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Garmin Vivomove HR
Best overall hybrid smartwatch
With a handsome analog face and several styles to choose from, the Garmin Vivomove HR is a high-end fashion piece. Additionally, it boasts useful features like sleep monitoring, scheduling, text message relays, fitness tracking, and even stress-level estimates. You can sync it with your phone and share data with health apps. Versatile, durable, and mightily powerful, this is a top pick.
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Fossil Collider Hybrid Smartwatch HR
Best value hybrid smartwatch
The Collider from Fossil isn’t exactly cheap, but it’s worth every penny. The stainless-steel, water-resistant construction can endure everything from intense workouts to long stuffy meetings. It also comes with features like heart-rate sensing, sleep monitoring, and weather alerts. The display has a subtle, versatile look to match any outfit.
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Garmin Instinct Crossover Solar
Best rugged hybrid smartwatch
The Instinct Crossover Solar sports a shockproof, waterproof, and disaster-proof case designed to keep you oriented even when trekking off-path. That’s largely thanks to the built-in GPS and long-lasting battery. It also supports contactless payments and fitness tracking. Essentially, it’s great for rugged lifestyles, and the premium price reflects the quality.
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Withings ScanWatch 2
Best wellness hybrid smartwatch
The Withings ScanWatch 2 works best when paired with the Withings App, providing everything from heart-rate notifications to sleep-quality insights. You can also view estimated cardiovascular health, blood-oxygen levels, calories burned, and more. The physical design is also fitness-geared, with a waterproof rating of 5ATM and a lightweight-yet-durable stainless-steel construction.
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Citizen CZ Hybrid Smartwatch
Best custom display hybrid smartwatch
The Citizen CZ features a minimal design that matches any outfit and occasion, with a black-and-white color scheme to never go out of style. You can also customize the screen to display the weather, calendar alerts, texts, and other useful notifications. Plus, it works with both iOS and Android devices.
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Garmin Vivomove Trend
Best discreet screen hybrid smartwatch
The Vivomove Trend has the analog watch hands and circular face of other hybrid models, but it also hides a touchscreen display in plain sight. You can customize screen-display information without poking around a companion app. The toolkit is extensive, too, with features for managing sleep data, stress levels, messages, and more.
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Withings Steel HR Sport
Best sport hybrid smartwatch
When you combine convenience, comfort, utility, and style, you get the Withings Steel HR Sport smartwatch. It’s no slouch in the features department either, offering GPS tracking and over 30 different built-in sport modes. Better yet, the battery can last over three weeks between charges, so it’s another great option for outdoor enthusiasts.
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Fossil Gen 6
Best style hybrid smartwatch
The Fossil Gen 6 has style in spades, available in different colors, and each one gives an elegant look. Hidden under that beauty is a powerful set of smart tools, including sleep tracking and heart rate sensing. And with a water-resistance rating of 3ATM, it’s also ready for outdoor adventures. Who knew a rugged watch could look so good?
Do hybrid smartwatches have the same features as regular smartwatches?
This depends on the model. Most hybrid smartwatches have heart rate sensors, text and call alerts, reminders, weather reports, media storage, and compatibility with popular fitness apps like Apple Health and Google Fit. Many can even monitor your sleep quality, and there are also waterproof, exercise-oriented designs. Thus, the most important smartwatch tools can usually be found in hybrid models.
That being said, these watches lack the touchscreen controls of regular smartwatches. There are a few exceptions, like the Garmin Vivomove 3s, but most must be controlled via a smartphone. This is the trade-off to having a classic-style watchface.
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Do hybrid smartwatches need to be charged frequently?
One of the biggest advantages of hybrid smartwatches is their power efficiency. Without a glowing touchscreen to power, they can usually last much longer compared to a regular smartwatch. Some can even last months on a single cell battery, while rechargeable options often keep on ticking for weeks before you need to plug them in. This strength is another characteristic of hybrid smartwatches that hearkens to classic analog designs.
