It is fully water resistant up to 50 meters and offers 18 hours of battery life. It is comfortable, and offers both GPS and LTE support, making it a strong standalone choice.
If you are looking for the smallest smartwatch to fit a dainty wrist, I’ve got the information you need. I reviewed 3 of the smallest smartwatches to determine which is the best of the smallest smartwatches.
Table of Contents
Here are the smallest smartwatches I reviewed, along with the size of their cases:
- Apple Watch 3 (38 or 42 mm)
- Samsung Galaxy Watch Active (39.5 / 40mm)
- Skagen Falster 2 (40 mm)
My wrist clocks in at just under 6 inches, so I know a thing or two about having a small wrist. I’ve been through several smartwatches to find the one that doesn’t seem to overwhelm me with its presence and doesn’t constantly slide around on my wrist.
If you are in the market for a smartwatch, you’ll want to be sure you find a watch that is the right size for your body frame and wrist size.
Especially if you want to use a health tracker, you’ll want to ensure that your watch fits appropriately to ensure the most accurate fitness readings possible.
To determine what size of smartwatch will be best for you, start by measuring the circumference of your wrist.
For women, a measurement under 6.25 inches is considered a small wrist, and you will want to shop for a smartwatch with this in mind.
Men with a wrist size under 6.5 inches should also consider a smaller smartwatch to ensure proper fit. Once you’ve confirmed your wrist size, it’s time to go shopping!
The Apple Watch 3 (38mm/42mm)
It is fully water resistant up to 50 meters and offers 18 hours of battery life. It is comfortable, and offers both GPS and LTE support, making it a strong standalone choice.
The third generation of the Apple Watch was released in September of 2017 and comes in two case sizes – 38 mm and 42 mm.
New features included built-in cellular connectivity, GPS/GNSS, and a barometric altimeter.
Apple also upgraded the display to be 2x brighter than previous models, with a second-generation Retina OLED display, up to 1000 nits.
The Watch 3 is powered by the S3 SiP with a dual-core processor, connects with Bluetooth and WiFi with a W2 wireless chip, and has an improved speaker that is 50% louder than the previous generation.
The digital crown provides haptic feedback, and the watch comes with an optical heart sensor with high and low heart rate notifications and irregular rhythm notifications.
The Apple Watch 3 features a sapphire crystal display on stainless steel and ceramic cases and an Ion-X glass display on aluminum cases, both of which are more durable than the earlier plastic cases.
New band options are also available, including a sport loop band that is breathable and comfortable to wear during workouts. Overall, the Apple Watch 3 is a significant upgrade from previous versions.
Apple Watch 3 Specs:
- 38mm or 42mm case
- Second-generation Retina OLED display, up to 1000 nits
- Ion-X glass display on aluminum cases; sapphire crystal display on stainless steel and ceramic cases
- GPS model
- S3 SiP with a dual-core processor; W2 wireless chip
- Digital Crown
- Optical heart sensor
- High and low heart rate notifications and irregular rhythm notification
- Emergency SOS
- Water resistant 50 meters
- WiFi and Bluetooth 4.2
- GPS/GNSS and barometric altimeter
- Built-in speaker and mic
- 8GB capacity
The Samsung Galaxy Watch Active (39.5/40mm)
The watch is water resistant up to 50 meters, so you can take it with you in the pool or the shower without worry. It also has a built-in GPS and has 4 GB of storage, so you can save music.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch Active (39.5 / 40mm) is a smartwatch with several features to help you stay connected and active.
For starters, it has a built-in GPS so you can track your location and activity without carrying your phone with you.
The Galaxy also has a heart rate monitor so that you can keep an eye on your fitness level, and it’s water-resistant, so you can take it with you when you swim or if you go for a jog in the rain.
In addition, you can make payments directly from your wrist since the watch includes Samsung pay.
It also has a variety of watch faces and apps so that you can customize it to your liking.
Whether you want to stay connected or get fit, the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active (39.5 / 40mm) is a decent option.
Samsung Galaxy Watch Active Specs:
- 39.5 / 40mm
- Retina OLED display
- Heart rate sensor
- GPS Navigation
- Microphone
- SMS & incoming calls notification
- Changeable strap
- Always-on display
- Automatic exercise recognition,
- Ambient light sensor, barometer, gyro sensor
The Skagen Falster 2 (40 mm)
- Heart Rate & Activity Tracking using Google Fit
- Built in GPS for distance tracking
- Swimproof design 3ATM
- Google Assistant built in it's your own personal Google, always ready to help
- Speed through checkout with your watch using Google Pay
The Skagen Falster 2 is a stylish and functional smartwatch with a clean and minimalist design, a round face, and a simple leather strap.
The Falster 2 is water-resistant, so you can wear it while swimming or taking a shower, and it is equipped with GPS and heart-rate tracking, as well as the ability to track your steps, sleep, and fitness activity.
In addition, the Falster 2 has a built-in microphone and speaker, so you can take calls and access your favorite apps without reaching for your phone.
Skagen Falster 2 Specs:
- Case Size: 40 mm
- Powered with Wear OS by Google
- Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ Wear 2100+
- 4GB Storage
- Two configurable Push Buttons, Touchscreen, Voice
- Loudspeaker, Microphone, Vibration
- Bluetooth Smart Enabled / 4.1 Low Energy
- Accelerometer, Altimeter, Ambient Light, Compass, Gyroscope, Off-body IR, PPG Heart Rate, SPO2
- Battery: 24 Hr +
Comparing the Smallest Smartwatches
The Samsung and the Falster both have a sleek, minimalist design with a circular face and a mesh strap. The Apple Watch 3 has a square face and a leather or metal strap.
The Apple Watch 3 is slightly smaller than both the Galaxy and the Falster but only larger by 1mm. All three watches have an OLED display and are water-resistant.
The Galaxy Watch Active and the Falster have a heart rate monitor and GPS, while the Apple Watch 3 has an optical heart rate sensor and GPS.
All three can track your steps, calories burned, and active minutes, but the Apple Watch 3 can also track stairs climbed.
Both the Galaxy Watch Active and the Falster have slightly longer battery life than the Apple Watch 3.
The Falster and Galaxy batteries can last over 24 hours, depending on usage. The Galaxy is compatible with Android phones, and the Apple Watch 3 is compatible with iPhone 5 – X. The Falster is compatible with Android.
#1 Best Overall
The Apple Watch 3 is the smallest smartwatch on the market, and it packs plenty of features into its tiny frame. It has a built-in heart rate monitor, GPS, and Apple Pay. It’s water-resistant up to 50 meters for swimming without worry.
Even with all of these features, the watch is only 38mm wide, making it incredibly comfortable to wear. And because it runs on Apple’s watchOS platform, it has access to many apps and features.
It’s also the most stylish and user-friendly. The watch is made of the highest-quality materials and has a sleek design that looks great on any wrist.
The Apple Watch 3 has all the features you need in a smartwatch, whether you use your watch for communication or for fitness. If you’re looking for a small smartwatch that does it all, the Apple Watch 3 is the best option.
Smartwatch Buying Guide: Considerations when buying a small smartwatch
You’ll want to keep a few things in mind when it comes to smartwatches. First and foremost, you’ll want to ensure that the watch is compatible with your smartphone.
Many smartwatches use Bluetooth to connect to your phone, so you’ll need to ensure that your phone has Bluetooth capabilities.
You’ll also want to consider what features you’re looking for in a smartwatch. Some watches track your fitness data, while others include music playback, contactless payments, and more.
The Downside of the Smallest Smartwatches
Being the smallest smartwatch has its perks. The diminutive size means that it can be worn inconspicuously on your wrist and is less likely to get in the way when you’re doing activities like typing or cooking. However, there are some trade-offs to consider.
Smaller smartwatches often have shorter battery life and fewer features than their larger counterparts. They may also be more challenging to interact with, since the screen and buttons are usually smaller.
If you must have a smartwatch with a large screen or long battery life, you might want to go for a larger model.
But a smaller smartwatch might be the way to go if you’re looking for something discreet and unobtrusive.
The Bottom Line
After using the Apple Watch 3 for a couple of weeks, I prefer it to the Samsung Galaxy or the Falster.
The display is bright and clear, even in direct sunlight, and the optical heart sensor is accurate and reliable, which is important to me since I’m using my watch primarily for fitness.
The built-in speaker and mic have also come in handy when I’m out running. Overall, I find the Apple Watch 3 to be an excellent smartwatch.
I also find the Galaxy Watch Active and the Falster less intuitive and user-friendly than the Apple Watch 3.
And while the Galaxy Watch Active and the Falster may have longer battery life, as long as I remember to charge the Apple Watch 3 while I’m in the shower, I don’t think that alone is worth the extra money.
So, for me, the Apple Watch 3 is the better choice.
If you’re looking for a small smartwatch that doesn’t compromise on features or performance, the Apple Watch 3 is the best option.
