13 Best Smartwatches For Teens in 2021 – The Buyer’s Guide

An adult would remember getting their first wristwatch, be it a hand-me-down from an older sibling or a parent or a new one; it is a memory that is forever embedded in one’s mind. That feeling today is similar to what many teens feel when they are handed a new piece of technology for the very first time.

Smartwatches are the hottest new things right now for all age groups. Although, you can give them a model suited for adults, but it won’t fit their wrists, that’s why you must make sure that you shop for teen-specific models only. It doesn’t matter what your preferences are, if you’re looking for a compact smartwatch for a teenager, then you’ve come to the right place.

The best smartwatches for teens are compact, multifunctional, and are almost as good as a smartphone, i.e all the things a teen wants. Luckily, for you, we have carefully curated a list of the best smartwatch for teens that they will absolutely love. But, before that, take a look at some features that you need to keep in mind while purchasing a smartwatch for a teen.

Factors to Consider When Purchasing a Smartwatch for Teenager in 2021

1. Device Compatibility

It is of utmost importance to ensure, before purchasing a smartwatch, that it is compatible with your phone, which could have either iOS or Android software. Some smartwatches are built to work with any kind of phone whereas smartwatches made by Apple, for instance, only work with devices having iOS software. So, while choosing the best smartwatch for teens, make sure your phone works with it.

2. Watch Interface

This refers to whether to opt for a smartwatch with a touch screen or buttons. For teens, it would be easier to go for a touch-screen option as they are more comfortable with that. A smartwatch for a teen should not be fussy. It should be easy to operate and provide multiple apps in its interface.

3. Design of the Watch

The design of a smartwatch can make or break it. When purchasing a smartwatch for a teenager, it is important that the watch is designed to target the needs of a teen. For instance, the straps should be adjustable so they fit their wrist and continue to do so as they grow.

4. Functionalities

The smartwatch must prioritize the teenager’s interests, which could vary from sharing music to being able to play videos. The watch can also have a GPS tracker connected to a parent’s device so they can ensure that their teenage child is safe.

The smartwatch should preferably be connected to the teenager’s social media, too, so they can get alerts and notifications that are not just limited to phone calls and text messages. There should also be options present in the smartwatch to change the look of the screen according to one’s likes and interests.

5. Battery Life

Teens have busy schedules; they juggle school, outings, and family time among a lot of other things and can sometimes forget to charge their electronic devices. This is why another very essential point to consider while purchasing a smartwatch is its battery life. It is advisable to opt for smartwatches that have batteries that can go months without needing to be charged up.

Best Smartwatches for Teens in 2021

Now that you are aware of the important factors you should consider when buying a smartwatch for a teenager, you must be looking for the teen-specific model to shop for. The good thing is, we’ve already looked around 45 different models and have picked the 13 best options that you shall consider this year.

1. Pebble 2 Heart Rate Smartwatch

Pebble 2 + Heart Rate was released by Pebble, a successful and reputed company in 2016. However, shortly after the release of Pebble 2, the company was bought by FitBit.

• Display: 1.5 inch
• Battery life: Up to 7 days
• Connectivity: Bluetooth and WiFi-enabled
• Compatibility: Android 4.3, iOS 8 and above

The Pebble 2 is ideal smartwatch for a fitness loving teen. We know that the craze to stay healthy has been taking all over the world and teens are not far behind. Teens are usually filled with energy which they don’t know what to do with and exercising is the healthiest way out of that!

Pebble 2 is equipped with a 24/7 heart rate tracker and more fitness related trackers than other smartwatches, even its own first edition. It has a built-in workout app among other fitness-focused sensors. Its smartphone app includes a Health tab that shows wellness-related data broken down into three different color-coded graphs. These are a green chart showing activity statistics, a purple chart for heart rate data, and a blue chart for sleep insights.

It syncs smoothly to smartphones without any confusion. So if you want to send the latest music from one device to the other, you can do it in no time. A remarkable thing about Pebble is its ability to use third-party apps via the Pebble App store for more advanced tracking and better interface. Pebble 2 is superbly versatile and allows the user to personalize the smartwatch in unique ways.

There is access to tons of faces and different layouts for this purpose. Put the Captain America wallpaper you love and live your Avengers dream to the fullest!  One can view and respond to messages via messaging apps easily with the push of a button.

With its quality 1.5″ always-on display with LED backlight, built-in microphone and Pebble 2 is a steal. One can view and respond to messages via messaging apps easily with the push of a button. It is water resistant, so be it swimming pools or showers, Pebble 2 can handle it.

Comfortable, light, and decently stylish – Pebble 2 is a real asset. Its standard sized silicone band is comfortable, light, and durable. It is resistant to drops and scratches because like parents, even Pebble knows what shenanigans teens can find themselves involved in!

With its long-lasting battery life and low price, Pebble 2 is one of the best options out there, especially for loyal Pebble fans and buyers on a budget looking for a smartwatch and a fitness tracker. It’s bound to keep teens busy with its features, engaged in undertaking productive activities, connected with their mates, and satisfied.

2. Amazfit Bip Smartwatch

• OS: Amazfit OS
• Display: 1.28 inch
• Battery life: Up to 30 days
• Connectivity: Bluetooth
• Compatibility: Android 4.4, iOS8 and above

Amazfit Bip Smartwatch is an astonishing smartwatch in the award-winning portfolio of the company. With its record-breaking battery life, one can use it for 30 days with ease. Truly, its battery life is its crowning jewel.

Imagine all the things you could do without worrying about charging your smartwatch. Go camping, play a cricket tournament, stay over your friend’s place, and whatnot! Spend your summer vacations without the pressure of losing any memories because Amazfit Bip will accompany you without fail.

 It is lightweight and comfortable on the skin with its matte-plastic build and 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass capacitive touch screen.  The best part – it’s always on. With IP68 water and dust rating, it’s protected from dust. It is also resistant to water for up to 5 minutes. So no matter how many times a football crashes against it, how many times it falls in a bucket full of water, it is resistant to all your silly ‘oopsies’. You don’t have to be afraid of your parents’ reaction anymore!

It is equipped with the latest technology such as a built-in GPS, barometer, 3-axis accelerometer, optical heart rate sensor, and a compass. Enabled with multi-sport tracking, one can track their runs, cycling, and more with mapped routes, detailed stats, and heart rate zones. All the sports-loving teens, gear up! This is made for you and your active lifestyle.

 Its display is super easy to use and visible even under harsh sunlight. Apart from the basic receiving and making calls, navigating one’s social media notifications has never been easier. You never have to miss out on James Charles’ new Instagram post or Jake Paul’s latest tweet no matter where you are. It is small but studded with high tech specs that are bound to pamper and spoil the user.

It is certainly not the best-looking smartwatch in the market, but it is nicely utilitarian and has a comfortable, rustic feel to it. Compatible with both iOS and Google Android, it has no app store of its own and very few compatible third-party apps.

The Bip has swappable watch faces via a Mi Fit app, and a handful on the watch itself. With its high-end features, laser focus technology, smooth animation, and hassle-free operation, Amazfit Bip is a premium option in the market for teens.

Amazfit Bip is hard to beat if you are seeking a vibrant looking smartwatch resistant to your shenanigans and daily wear and tear. It is fit to wear every day, be it to school or to the badminton court. 

3. Fitbit Versa Lite Edition

• OS: Fitbit OS 3.0
• Display: 1.34 inch
• Battery life: Up to 4 days
• Connectivity: Bluetooth
• Compatibility: Android & iOS devices

Fitbit is an incredibly renowned brand when it comes to smartwatches; we all have heard of it, including teenagers. This award-winning, world-famous brand rarely disappoints with their smartwatches and the Fitbit Versa Lite Edition is perhaps the best smartwatch for a teen who is always on the go.

It comes in a variety of colors with changeable wristbands, i.e, it is perfect for both boys and girls! They can also change the clock face design per their likings as the smartwatch provides over 500 designs to choose from.

The Fitbit Versa Lite Edition proudly offers many features that are related to health, entertainment, and so on. One of the unique features that come with this smartwatch is an option known as the female health tracker. Teenage girls may be new to menstrual cycles and this option will undoubtedly help them track it as well as get used to the new changes in their body.

Most parents are worried about their teen probably having a disturbed sleep schedule, but the Fitbit Versa Lite Edition comes with a 24/7 heart rate tracker and sleep-scorer. The smartwatch analyzes the teen user’s heart rate, time of sleep, restlessness, and breathing pattern and provides a personalized score that can help improve their sleep cycles.

This smartwatch is also water-resistant up to fifty meters! This means that the teen doesn’t have to panic if they forget to take off the smartwatch before nose-diving into the pool, or the ocean for that matter. Further, the smartwatch can also be connected to a smartwatch’s GPS to provide real-time pace and distance alerts, which means that there will be a less number of worried moms.

The Fitbit Versa Lite Edition smartwatch also has a screen with an incredible brightness of 1000 nits. The screen is made from Corning Gorilla Glass 3, which is completely resistant to breaking.

The smartwatch gives immediate alerts of not just calls and text messages but also of many other apps that can be downloaded onto it, along with the apps provided by Fitbit made by their developers. The Fitbit Versa Lite Edition smartwatch can be paired with all leading iOS and Android smartphones and needs to be charged once every four days.

The teens can also connect the Fitbit Versa Lite smartwatch to their wireless headphones and jam to their favorite tracks!

4. Apple Watch Series 5

• Operating System: Watch OS 6.0
• Display: 1.78-inch LTPO OLED Retina
• Battery life: Up to 18 hours
• Connectivity: Bluetooth & WiFi (WiFi on Apple Watch GPS only)
• Compatibility: iOS 13 and above & Apple Watch Cellular for Android devices

Needless to say, Apple is perhaps the most recognized technology brand across the globe and so is their range of smartwatches. The Apple Watch Series 5 is a dynamic smartwatch that has taken the best qualities from its predecessors and elevated it up a notch. It has the biggest screen yet when it comes to an Apple Watch along with the signature Apple 3D Touch Display.

It has a 32 GB internal storage so your teen can store all their music, applications, and so on. Not just that, it also has a loudspeaker which means they can play their favorite music, listen to the latest podcast, or relax with a classic audiobook anytime they like, even if their phone isn’t around.

The Apple Watch Series 5 almost eliminates the need for a smartphone to be always on the person. The teen doesn’t have to worry about the whereabouts of their phone on a vacation or at a sleepover as the smartwatch replicates nearly every function of a smartphone. They can even make and receive calls via the smartwatch due to the eSIM embedded in it.

The smartwatch also has the unique feature of an ‘always-on’ display; the screen will be the brightest when most of the action is happening and will dim down during a period of inactivity.

The smartwatch is bound to make the teen spoilt for choices as Apple offers a variety of color variants, strap designs, and types. Being a little on the expensive side, parents could rightly be worried about the smartwatch getting damaged when their kid is taking a swim. But fortunately, the Apple Watch Series 5 is water-resistant up to 50 meters! The screen is made from Ion-X strengthened glass so there is a tough chance that it will crack.

The teenager can also get their adventure caps on because this smartwatch comes with a built-in compass as well as a GPS tracker, so the parents need not worry. 

5. Garmin vívoactive 3

• OS: Wear OS by Google
• Display: 1.2-inch Garmin Chroma
• Battery life: Up to 13 hours on GPS mode, up to 7 days on Smart Mode
• Connectivity: Bluetooth and ANT+
• Compatibility: iOS and Android devices

For teens who are very active and always on their feet, the Garmin vívoactive 3 is the perfect smartwatch. This smartwatch comes with over 15 pre-loaded sports apps. They could put the smartwatch on and partake in swimming (yes, it is waterproof), or go on a bike ride, or take a yoga class, and the built-in GPS tracker will feed the details of the activity – that too without the need for a smartphone connection.

Trust us when we say that this smartwatch is meant for an active and outdoorsy teen, as the screen on this smartphone is also quite resilient. It is made from Corning Gorilla Glass 3 and has the company’s in-house Chroma Display which enables viewing the screen even in direct sunlight.

Teens tend to be under stress a lot of the time which can sometimes go unnoticed by the parents but the Garmin Vívoactive 3 smartwatch also offers Elevate, which is a built-in technology that tracks the heart rate from the wrist. Elevate monitors the key aspects of the teen’s physical and emotional reactions under various circumstances and provides indicators on how to aid those stressors.

Apart from these features, the smartwatch houses the Connect IQ store where the teenager can download widgets and clock faces and customize the watch however they want, making it uniquely their own! Moreover, the watch needs to be charged only once a week, so as we said, it is the best one for teens who are always on the get-go!

6. Amazfit Verge Smartwatch

• OS: Amazfit OS
• Display: 1.3-inch AMOLED
• Battery life: Up to 5 days
• Connectivity: Bluetooth and WiFi
• Compatibility: iOS and Android devices

The brand Amazfit rarely disappoints its customers, and the same can be said for their award-winning smartwatch, the Amazfit Verge Smartwatch. It is the modern smartwatch for a modern teen. It has a marvelous 1.3 inch AMOLED screen that provides the sharpest display and a tough as nails screen made of Corning Gorilla Glass 3.

The teens can engage in a variety of activities and this smartwatch will log them all separately as it has twelve built-in sports modes. And, it doesn’t just end there, the Amazfit Verge also comes with built-in Alexa. So, your wish is literally a command away! All you have to do is tell your smartwatch “Alexa, play the latest Shawn Mendes track” and it’ll happen.

Teens aren’t the only ones who will be satisfied with this smartwatch, even parents can sleep easy at night. Speaking of which, the watch also has a sleep tracking technology that thoroughly analyzes the teen’s sleep patterns. Furthermore, there is a GPS tracking service as well!

People are always on the go and teens are too. They don’t always have the time to reach for their phone and take calls. Which is another thing that this smartwatch simplifies, you can take calls and make them too, all through the smartwatch.

The same goes for answering WhatsApp messages! And, don’t worry if you have a habit of forgetting chargers, the Amazfit Verge smartwatch needs to be charged only once in 5 days.

The look of the Amazfit Verge is like no other, it comes with changeable straps and customizable clock face designs. The AMOLED screen displays life-like clock pointers, too. The clock face designs have been designed by Territory Studio, with visuals that have been inspired by sci-fi films like Blade Runner 2049 and The Avengers series.

7. TicWatch E2 Smartwatch

• OS: Wear OS by Google
• Display: 1.39-inch AMOLED FSTN LCD
• Battery life: Up to 2 days
• Connectivity: Bluetooth and WiFi
• Compatibility: Android 4.4, iOS 9.3 and above

After the success and release of the TicWatch E, smartwatch brand Mobvoi released the TicWatch E2 Smartwatch, which went to become the winner of a few accolades. This smartwatch houses many features and functions, but that is not what makes it shine.

The real hero in this smartwatch is its price range. It gives you nearly the same functions that any high-end smartwatch would but for a much less price.

Michael Brown, Father of a Teenage kid

Unlike the TicWatch E, this smartwatch comes in only one color, black. The smartwatch looks very contemporary and chic, just like today’s teens. It provides a mindblowing display with the AMOLED screen and the generously sized screen of 1.39 inches. Its lightweight design and comfortable fit allow the teen to wear it anywhere, from school to a camping trip.

The TicWatch E2 also comes with 12 sports modes to track all of the different activities that the teen might engage in, and yes, it is entirely water-resistant up to fifty meters! You can wear it in a swimming pool or the shower.

This smartwatch will satisfy everybody, the teens on the go, and their concerned parents (who also might be worried about their pockets being pinched). The TicWatch E2 also provides built-in GPS tracking so that parents can ensure the safety of their teen’s whereabouts.

The smartwatch also has the latest version of Wear OS by Google, which grants the teen user access to Google Assistant, Google Fit Face, and so on. Moreover, you only need to charge this once in 48 hours!

The TicWatch E2 provides classy benefits for a low price, and it is definitely meant for a teen who is always active.

8. Samsung Gear Sport

• OS: Tizen 3.0 (updateable to 4.0)
• Display: 1.2-inch
• Battery life: Up to 2 days
• Connectivity: Bluetooth and WiFi
• Compatibility: Android 4.4, iOS 9.0 and above

Samsung is another giant in the world of technology, and its Samsung Gear Sport smartwatch lives up to its name and claims, mostly. As the name suggests, this is mainly a sports-oriented smartwatch providing tracking for over a dozen different activities such as cycling, hiking, and swimming.

Yes, swimming. This watch can track the number of laps taken, along with being water-resistant up to 50 meters! It is no secret that this smartwatch is best for a teen who often engages in physical activities and sports.

But sports is not all that this watch is capable of; it has a microphone and loudspeaker, which enables the teen user to receive and make calls as well as connect to their Spotify account and play music!

The watch comes with Samsung’s digital voice assistant, S Voice too. You can pair your Bluetooth headphones directly with the smartwatch and even store music on it as 1.5 GB extra storage is provided after pre-loaded apps and features take up 2.5 GB of the advertised 4 GB storage.

The Samsung Gear Sport smartwatch also has a very modern design that comes with a one of a kind rotating bezel cursor. The rubber wristband is lightweight, but the watch body itself is on the heavier side compared to the Samsung Gear Active smartwatch. It also has a gorgeous display with a full-color AMOLED screen, which is on the ‘always-on’ mode.

Like most of the Samsung smartwatches, you don’t need a Samsung smartphone to use this watch as it is compatible with both Android and iOS devices. Furthermore, the battery lasts up to 2 days!

9. Huawei Watch GT Sport

• OS: Lite OS by Huawei 
• Display: 1.39-inch AMOLED HD
• Battery life: Up to 14 days
• Connectivity: Bluetooth
• Compatibility: iOS and Android devices

Huawei debuted its proprietary operating systems in its devices for the first time ever. The risk definitely paid off because Huawei has produced a great product here. Every teenager and young adult craves a small taste of adulthood. Huawei Watch GT Sport is just the watch for it. The style, the seriousness, the specs – it’s all packed in here!

The 1.39-inch, 454×454 AMOLED screen is vibrant and sleek. The watch is resilient to accidents thanks to its ceramic bezel design and stainless steel shell, as if it is God sent for teens. Any amount of rough use will not cause it any harm.

Its two-week battery life is long-lasting, made to keep up with the needs and requirements of a teen. No need to get stuck in the rut of charging and waiting. Enjoy an adult smartwatch without the hassle of adulthood itself!

Huawei Watch GT Sport provides a real-time measurement of heart rate by using innovative sensors and self-learning algorithms. Equipped with a sleep tracker developed in collaboration with Harvard Medical School’s CDB Center, it identifies and corrects the 6 most common sleep-related issues, offering more than 200 potential solutions and suggestions for better sleep.

With its 4 unique outdoor modes and personal coaching-  it is the perfect summer vacation gift for a teen. Huawei Watch GT Sport provides coaching in introductory to advanced running courses that assist in real-time while providing training guidance. Become a swimming champion with it! The smartwatch can recognize and improve your stroke, and automatically provides a SWOLF score upon completion of your swim.

This is not simply a smartwatch. It is a coach, a guide, a mentor. This is a watch perfected to the needs of a sporty, restless teen for whom staying indoors is a chore.

10. TicWatch S2 Smartwatch

• OS: Wear OS by Google
• Display: 1.39-inch
• Battery life: Up to 2 days
• Connectivity: Bluetooth
• Compatibility: Android 4.4, iOS 9.0 and above

Mobvoi is a voice-based artificial intelligence company, defining the next generation of human-machine interaction. A newcomer in the game, Ticwatch by Mobvoi still has a lot to love.

Teens like to get adventurous in their own ways. Maybe a quick bicycle ride to the library or a rough football match – TicWatch S2 Smartwatch is going to be a trustworthy companion through all of this.

Certified by US Military Standard it is designed to withstand extreme conditions and environments. It is extreme temperature resistance, anti-shock, dust-proof, humidity-proof, sand & dustproof. The perfect investment for a teenager.

Resistant to water for up to 50 meters, Ticwatch also detects and records user’s swim-style, swimming time, distance, speed, and calorie consumption. No more expensive swimming classes, Ticwatch will do it all. Built-in GPS and 24 hour Heart Rate Monitor makes it easy for the user to stay motivated and complete tasks.

Developed in collaboration with Google, the smartwatch is powered by Google OS. Download all your favorite apps from Google Play directly on to the watch or direct Google Assistant to do it.

With hundreds of customized watch faces, this smartwatch is bound to keep a teen engaged and interested. It’s robust and easy to use. It is hassle-free. 

11. Kate Spade New York Scallop

• OS: Wear OS by Google
• Display: 1.2-inch Analog
• Battery life: Up to 24 hours
• Connectivity: Bluetooth and WiFi
• Compatibility: Android 4.4, iOS 9.3 and above

For long smartwatches have been catering to men. What about our ladies? Kate Spade is here!

Available in Black and Gold, Kate Spade has crafted the Scallop Touchscreen Smartwatch specifically for women. Equipped with all the features of a regular smartwatch such as smartphone notifications, activity tracking, Google Assistant, and access to third-party apps via Google Play Store, the smartwatch offers much more.

A multitude of watch faces are available for personal customizable, Scallop Touchscreen Smartwatch allows you to ‘Choose your look’. Tap the icons around the spade to enter answers for day or night, jewelry, handbag, and outfit colors and the watch will choose a personalized dial for you.

Compatible with both iOS and Android, this smartwatch is where style meets tech. A scallop-patterned case and iconic spade detailing on the pusher gives this smartwatch a feminine and sleek look. An animated Leading Lady winks with every unread notification and Falling daisy petals countdown as you meet your activity goals.

Kate Spade Scallop Touchscreen is the intersection of femininity, aesthetics, and fun! It’s the perfect watch for a young teen girl.

12. Garmin Vívofit Jr 2

• OS: No OS (runs entirely through a smartphone app)
• Display: 0.4-inch 8-color MIP
• Battery life: Up to 12 months
• Connectivity: Bluetooth
• Compatibility: iOS and Android devices

It is every child’s dream to be a superhero. Garmin Vívofit Jr 2 is here to fulfill that dream!

The Vivofit Jr 2 is all about fun! With its colorful silicone bands, be a standout at school and among your friends. Don a Star Wars, Marvel, or maybe a Disney look – whatever you feel like that day! The bands are comfortable and sit on the skin smoothly without causing any irritation.

The smartwatch/activity tracker is water-resistant which means it will withstand football matches in the rain and deep dives in the pool or even a cold shower in summers. With an outstanding battery life of more than a year – teens never have to stop to recharge. The action is on and so is the Vivofit Jr 2.

Once synced with the phone app, teens or their parents can choose avatars, view their activity statistics, create and unlock rewards, or even assign daily chores to complete.

Each version of the tracker offers its own unique step count icons and games. Completing daily 60-minute activity goals in the Adventure Mode will unlock specific moves in the character story.

All in all, Garmin Vivofit Jr 2 is a complete package for kids and teens.

13. GOKOO Smartwatch

• Display: 1.3-inch Full Touch Color
• Battery life: Up to 4-6 days
• Connectivity: Bluetooth
• Compatibility: Android 4.4, iOS 7.3 and above

Teen boys yearn to become men as soon as they can. GOKOO Smartwatch is designed to give them a taste of manhood.

This waterproof smartwatch for teens is equipped with a whopping 8 exercise modes to meet different needs. It has multiple sports modes for running, mountaineering, football, basketball, table tennis, badminton, swimming, etc to give you personalized statistics.

Apart from the basic 24×7 real-time heart rate monitor, the watch gives you exclusive data about your health. For the sporty and health-conscious, this smartwatch makes life smarter and more efficient with its inbuilt sedentary reminders, vibrating alarm clock, all-day activity tracking, pedometer, blood pressure checking, etc.

Once synced with a smartphone, all notifications and messages appear on the smartwatch from all kinds of applications like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Gmail. Never miss an important update from your class teacher or a message from your ‘special friend’ no matter where you are and what you’re doing.

For the fitness-loving teen, GOKOO Smartwatch isn’t just a smartwatch – it’s your life assistant!

Frequently Asked Questions

Verdict

To conclude, we know that teens can be picky, and rightly so. Who wouldn’t want the best of anything? There are tons of smartwatches in the market but only a few can satisfy the teen who wants it all, that too in a tiny package. So, these were the best smartwatches for a teenager according to us. Good luck, and have fun shopping!

Suggested Read: Best Smartwatches For Hunting.