Side-by-side comparison based on expert reviews and community consensus.
Amazfit Active 2
Best BudgetApple Watch Series 11
Best Overall (iPhone)Price
$60-$100
$399-$499
Summary
The best smartwatch under $100, and Reddit's go-to recommendation for budget-conscious buyers. Punches well above its price with solid fitness tracking and a wide variety of designs.
The gold standard for iPhone users, combining best-in-class health tracking, hypertension notifications, and an unbeatable app ecosystem. No other smartwatch matches its polish if you're in the Apple ecosystem.
Pros
- Best cheap smartwatch under $100 per Tom's Guide testing
- Wide variety of designs and styles available
- Solid fitness and health tracking for the price
- Consistently recommended by Reddit community for budget buyers
- Best third-party app selection of any smartwatch
- New hypertension notifications and Sleep Score health features
- 5G connectivity and improved scratch resistance
- Accurate fitness tracking tested against competitors by Tom's Guide
Cons
- App ecosystem far smaller than Apple or Samsung
- Health tracking accuracy lags behind premium options
- Software updates less consistent than major brands
- Only works with iPhone — useless for Android users
- Premium price point around $399+
- Year-over-year updates tend to be iterative rather than revolutionary
Our take
Reddit consistently pushes Amazfit for budget buyers, and Tom's Guide agrees — the Active 2 is the best cheap smartwatch you can buy. At under $100, there's nothing close.
If you have an iPhone, stop deliberating — the Series 11 is the answer. The app selection, health accuracy, and watchOS integration are so far ahead of the competition it's not a fair fight.
Buy
