The 12 Best smartwatches 2014: what is the best smartwatch or activity tracker?

12. Cookoo smart watch

• Reviewed on: 30 April 13
• RRP: £106 inc VAT
• Rating:

The Cookoo smart watch has a long lasting battery and is water resistant but it offers limited functionality. This is a product that feels half baked so we really can't recommend it in its current state.

11. Misfit Shine Activity Monitor

• Reviewed on: 15 January 14
• RRP: £99 inc. VAT
• Rating:

If you want a good-looking gadget to inspire you to do more, especially in the pool, the Misfit Shine is a good bet. Just don't expect it to accurately measure distance or calories burned, or to be able to compete against other Shine users. Things could improve with future updates, but this is currently an unrefined system.

10. Fitbit Flex

• Reviewed on: 11 September 13
• RRP: £79 inc. VAT
• Rating:

The Fitbit Flex is a cool-looking, lightweight wristband that tracks and monitors your daily activity and sleep patterns. It syncs with a desktop dashboard and mobile app to give you up-to-date activity data in gorgeous graphs. You can compete with Fitbit-using friends and even upgrade to a premium Daily Trainer service. I found the Fitbit Flex gave me added motivation to walk or run that bit further, and keep an eye on my weight and fitness activities. It’s addictive and fun, and if that gets you moving more and generally fitter and leaner it’s better for you than most other computing or mobile devices.

9. FitBit Zip

• Reviewed on: 16 January 14
• RRP: £49.99 inc VAT
• Rating:

The FitBit Zip is ideal if you want to join the life-logging brigade but can't or won't spend £80 upwards on an activity tracker. It's basic, but unless you really want sleep tracking or the stair-tracking features of Fitbit's other trackers, it's a bargain.

8. Nike+ FuelBand SE

• Reviewed on: 3 January 14
• RRP: £130 inc VAT
• Rating:

The FuelBand SE is a reliable and motivational activity tracker with good battery life and handy automatic synching. However, it’s expensive, works only with iOS and lacks proper sleep tracking and movement reminders. If the list of missing features doesn’t worry you, it’s a great choice but for other people, it’s going to be worth waiting for the Fitbit Force to launch in the UK.

7. Jawbone Up

• Reviewed on: 11 April 13
• RRP: £99.99 inc VAT
• Rating:

The Jawbone Up is an excellent motivational tool and has a couple of nice extra features, but its overpriced and the lack of wireless syncronising is a real downside.

6. Nike+ Fuelband

• Reviewed on: 2 May 13
• RRP: £130 inc VAT
• Rating:

It's expensive compared to other activity trackers, but when you consider the Fuelband's convenience and effectiveness it's worth the money if you can afford it.

5. LG Lifeband Touch

• Reviewed on: 8 January 14
• RRP: £110 inc VAT
• Rating:

Smartwatches are very much in their infancy, but from the few we’ve seen so far we think that the LG Lifeband Touch will hold its own in the market. The sporty angle and the fact it works with iOS and Android are god selling points that are sure to appeal to a lot of people.

4. Sony SmartWatch review

• Reviewed on: 9 May 13
• RRP: £79 inc VAT
• Rating:

The Sony SmartWatch is a cool and attractive gadget, offering plenty of apps and functionality. The downsides are a slightly bulky design and the need to charge it up regularly. Read our Sony SmartWatch review to find out more.

3. Pebble Steel

• Reviewed on: 9 January 14
• RRP: $249 (UK price yet to be confirmed)
• Rating:

The Pebble Steel is probably the most traditionally stylish smartwatch available right now, and for us that is what separates this from its competition – its lack of a touch screen is a little disappointing, but it’s ample features set goes someway to making up for this.

2. Samsung Galaxy Gear

• Reviewed on: 6 September 13
• RRP: £299 inc VAT
• Rating:

It's a mixed bag for the Galaxy Gear so far. We love the stylish design and nice screens. It's packed with handy features but performance and potentially poor battery are worrying. You can only use it with a handful of Galaxy smartphones and then there's the high price tag.

1. Sony SmartWatch 2

• Reviewed on: 6 December 13
• RRP: £149 inc VAT
• Rating:

At £149 the Sony SmartWatch 2 is a good value for money smart watch. It improves on the original version in key areas such as design, battery life and showing the time. With plenty of apps to download and use, there's lots of functionality too.