The Best Smartwatch and Fitness Tracker Deals for January 2023

Whether you’re looking to follow through on those “new year, new you” promises in 2023 or just want to smarten up your writes, there’s a smartwatch on sale for you right now. 

If you’re looking to increase your step count, there’s no shortage of activity trackers with an ever-increasing amount of fitness-focused features. For those of us who just want a nice-looking wearable device to check texts and see if Twitter is still operational this hour, there are plenty of options there, too.

Even if you aren’t motivated by tracking your daily activity and monitoring things like your pulse and O2 levels, a good fitness tracker will quickly become part of your daily routine—even if it’s just setting your watch to remind you to get up and walk around every couple of hours. A good tracker should also offer some basic water-resistance, the ability to integrate with apps like Strava and Nike Run Club, and ideally enough storage to hold a few workout playlists.

As far as other non-fitness-focused smartwatches go, we’d start the selection process by figuring out what style watch you want to wear and go from there. If you’re fine with a rectangular or square-ish screen and silicone wristband, there are plenty of options. Something more fashionable usually comes with an added cost. 

Other considerations include battery life, whether you need cellular connectivity, GPS and crash/collision detection for safety, and whether it supports mobile payments.

Retailers are motivated to get a new fitness device on your wrist for the new year. Here are the best deals we’ve found on smartwatches so far in 2023.

(Photo: Angela Moscaritolo)

Apple Watch SE 44mm GPS Smartwatch (1st Gen)

The first-generation Apple Watch SE runs on the Apple S5 processor and supports features like fall detection, heart health notifications, and Emergency SOS. If the 2022 second gen Apple Watch SE (not to mention the Series 8 or Ultra) is a little pricey, you can get many of the same features with this version.. It’s an excellent and cost-effective option for those looking for fitness and safety features without a premium price.

(Photo: Angela Moscaritolo)

Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic (GPS, 42mm)

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic features a stainless steel design and a rotating bezel backed by a better software experience and more third-party apps than previous Samsung smartwatches. Monitor the quality of your sleep, track your workouts, check your notifications, and more. With a durable stainless-steel casing that meets the MIL-STD-810G military standard, the Watch 4 has 5ATM and IP68 ratings, meaning it is waterproof to a depth of 164 feet for 10 minutes, and can withstand dust, dirt, and sand.

Garmin Instinct Rugged Outdoor Smartwatch

This smartwatch is a great choice of hikers and camping enthusiasts with up to 14 days of battery life in smartwatch mode, up to 16 hours in GPS mode, and up to 40 hours in Ultratrac battery saver mode. It features a rugged construction and includes built-in heart rate, activity, and stress monitoring to help you get the most out of your training. Plus, Garmin’s TracBack feature helps hikers find their way back to their original starting point.

(Photo: Angela Moscaritolo)

Fitbit Luxe

With a name like “Luxe” you’d expect a price tag to match. “Luxe” refers to the fact that this Fitbit is designed to be a bit sleeker and more like a piece of jewelry as opposed to a large thick piece of plastic. The slim design and stainless steel case offer a level of sophistication over other models, as do the optional bracelet-style wristbands. Don’t judge a book by its cover: This device also includes the features you’d expect, including activity and stress tracking plus sleep monitoring. The smaller size does mean that battery life is a touch shorter, though, just five days on a full single charge.

Fitbit Versa 2 Health and Fitness Smartwatch

We could go on and on about the different features of the Fitbit Versa 2 including sleep monitor, alarm clock, pedometer, calorie tracker, heart rate monitor, integrated Amazon Alexa smart assistant–you get the idea. Wrap that all up in a sleek, modern design and you have a health and fitness companion you’ll want to wear wherever you go. Run, hike, and even swim (water resistant to 50 meters) and see your pace and distance in real time thanks to the built-in GPS. It’s useful at home, too. Set bedtime reminders, alarms, and control compatible smart home devices all from your smartwatch. Plus, the price can’t be beat for all the included features.

Apple Watch Ultra (GPS + Cellular, 49mm)

Apple Watch Ultra is an excellent adventure-focused wearable with features that encourage exploration and keep you safe in the wild. It’s bigger than other iterations of the Apple Watch in every way with a 49mm case and a thicker frame that houses a larger battery that can last up to 36 hours with normal use, 18 hours with LTE or GPS enabled, and 60 hours with Low Power Mode turned on.