What is the best budget smartwatch under £100?

The Amazfit Bip 6 is the best budget smartwatch under £100 for most active buyers: it combines a large display, long GPS workout endurance and broad everyday tracking. Choose the CMF Watch 3 Pro if sharper outdoor route tracking matters most. Huawei’s Watch Fit 3 feels lighter overnight, but its ended security-support period rules it out as a fresh purchase.

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Use these links to compare the shortlist, then jump to the buying advice that matches how you will wear your watch.

Budget smartwatches at a glance

The Amazfit Bip 6 gives most people the strongest balance of exercise tracking, screen size and time away from the charger, while the other models make sense only for more specific priorities.

The deciding factor is fit for purpose: choose the broadest fitness-and-smartwatch balance unless a compact wrist fit or more focused outdoor positioning matters more.

Best overall - first: Amazfit Bip 6

The Amazfit Bip 6 is the best all-round budget smartwatch here because it covers everyday health tracking, swimming and long outdoor workouts without asking you to accept a small display.

Its 1.97-inch AMOLED display reaches up to 2,000 nits, so it is large enough to glance at during a run and bright enough to remain useful outdoors. The case measures 46.3 × 40.2 × 10.45 mm and weighs 27.9 g, making it light for that screen size, although the broad case can still look and feel substantial on a narrow wrist.

That trade-off is worth making if exercise is central to your choice. The watch supports more than 140 workout modes and uses five satellite positioning systems. More importantly, Amazfit supplies the useful endurance figure that most rivals omit: up to 32 hours of GPS workout use. That gives hikers, distance runners and cyclists something more meaningful than a best-case standby claim.

• Choose it for regular training: the GPS workout figure is the clearest evidence here for long tracked sessions.
• Choose it for easier mid-workout reading: the broad, bright display is less fiddly when you are moving.
• Check your phone: text replies are supported on Android only, so iPhone owners do not receive complete feature parity.
• Use it in the pool: swimming is an explicitly supported water use, rather than something inferred from the rating alone.

The Bip 6 also takes 22 mm quick-release straps. That standard fitting makes it practical to keep a soft band for sweaty sessions and change to leather, Milanese or metal for work; compatible Amazfit Bip 6 straps are available in all five of those material families.

Who it suits: you train several times a week, want a large glanceable screen and would rather have a capable generalist than a watch built around one narrow strength.

Best for outdoor routes - second: CMF Watch 3 Pro

The CMF Watch 3 Pro is the better choice when outdoor route recording matters more than having the largest display or the longest published GPS endurance.

Its dual-band GPS is the key difference. Receiving satellite signals across two frequency bands can produce cleaner tracks around tall buildings, wooded routes and other places where reflections interfere with positioning. It does not guarantee a perfect route, but it is the strongest positioning specification among the watches with clearly stated GPS hardware here.

The display is a more compact 1.43-inch AMOLED panel. Its 670-nit peak brightness is well below the brightest screens in this comparison, so it is less convincing in hard direct sunlight, but the smaller face may sit more neatly on your wrist. There are 131 workout modes, covering far more activities than most people will use.

Battery life is claimed at up to 13 days, but no comparable GPS-workout duration has been established for this model. Do not read the maximum figure as a promise of nearly a fortnight with frequent outdoor tracking, notifications and display features active.

• Choose it for mapped outdoor sessions: dual-band GPS is more relevant than a long list of indoor workout labels.
• Consider the smaller display: it takes up less visual space, though it is not as easy to read quickly as the larger Bip 6 screen.
• Check messaging support: replies are limited to Android phones.
• Do not infer swimming support: an IP68 rating is stated, but a specific swimming use has not been established here.

The Watch 3 Pro uses 22 mm quick-release straps, so replacements are easy to swap without a tool. The available CMF Watch 3 Pro straps include silicone and nylon for training, plus leather, Milanese, metal and titanium options for everyday wear.

Who it suits: you run, walk or cycle outdoors and care more about route shape than maximum screen size.

Best comfort hardware, but not a fresh buy - Huawei Watch Fit 3

The Huawei Watch Fit 3 has the most convincing fit for smaller wrists and sleep tracking, but its ended security-support period means it is no longer the right model to buy new.

There is plenty to like physically. Its aluminium-alloy case measures 43.2 × 36.3 × 9.9 mm and weighs 26 g, making it slimmer and lighter than the Amazfit Bip 6. That matters at night: a compact case is less likely to press into your wrist when you roll over, while the low weight makes the watch less intrusive during long days.

The supplied fluoroelastomer strap is well suited to sweat and repeated exercise, and Huawei explicitly lists freshwater swimming as a supported use. Its 1.82-inch AMOLED display reaches 1,500 nits, providing a useful middle ground between compact wear and outdoor readability. The watch offers more than 100 workout modes and a claimed battery life of 10 days.

The problem is support, not comfort. Huawei lists the Watch Fit 3 security-update period as ending on 20/05/2026, which had passed by 24 September 2026. Even at £79.99 at the time of writing, a newer Huawei Watch Fit model is the more sensible new purchase.

If you already own the watch, there is no need to discard comfortable hardware that still does what you need. Its 22 mm quick-release fitting also gives you unusually broad band choice: Huawei Watch Fit 3 straps are available in silicone, nylon, leather, Milanese, metal and titanium.

Who it suits: existing owners who value sleep comfort, freshwater swimming and an easy strap change. For a new watch, move to a currently supported Huawei Watch Fit model instead.

Best big-screen near-miss - Redmi Watch 6

The Redmi Watch 6 is the strongest option for sheer screen presence, but its listed price puts it outside a strict budget of £100.

Its 2.07-inch AMOLED display is the largest in this comparison and reaches 2,000 nits. That combination gives you roomy notification text, clearer workout fields and better visibility in bright daylight. The 432 × 514-pixel resolution keeps that large panel detailed rather than merely oversized.

Redmi also fits a 550 mAh battery and claims up to 24 days of battery life. As with every maximum battery claim, that figure is not the answer to how long it lasts with continuous health monitoring, an always-on display and frequent exercise tracking. Those settings increase power use, and a comparable mixed-use or GPS-workout figure has not been established here.

The watch carries a 5 ATM rating, but a named swimming use has not been established in the supplied specification. That distinction matters: a pressure rating is useful information, yet it should not be stretched into a promise about every water activity.

At £104.99 at the time of writing, the Redmi Watch 6 misses the price limit. If you are drawn to the Redmi range, our Redmi Watch 6 comparison explains how the related models differ.

Existing owners can choose Redmi Watch 6 straps in silicone, nylon, leather, Milanese and metal, although a standard quick-release size has not been established here.

Who it suits: you are willing to exceed the budget for the largest display and fewer claimed charging sessions. If £100 is a hard ceiling, the Amazfit is the better-balanced purchase.

Which budget smartwatch should you buy?

You should buy the Amazfit Bip 6 for the broadest balance of exercise tracking, display size and everyday wear, unless route accuracy or compact comfort clearly matters more to you.

• If you train several times a week: choose the Amazfit Bip 6. Its up-to-32-hour GPS workout figure is the most actionable endurance claim in this group.
• If outdoor route tracking is your main reason for buying: choose the CMF Watch 3 Pro for dual-band GPS, while accepting the smaller and dimmer display.
• If you have a small wrist or track sleep: the Huawei Watch Fit 3 has the most comfortable hardware, but buy a newer supported Huawei model rather than a new Watch Fit 3.
• If you swim: favour a model with swimming explicitly listed as a supported use. That is established for the Amazfit Bip 6, while Huawei specifies freshwater swimming for the Watch Fit 3.
• If you use an iPhone: do not assume feature equality. The Bip 6 and CMF Watch 3 Pro reserve text replies for Android.
• If you hate frequent charging: compare the conditions behind the claims. Maximum battery life does not tell you how long an always-on display, sleep tracking and repeated GPS sessions will last together.
• If you change bands between exercise and work: the Bip 6, Watch 3 Pro and Watch Fit 3 all use 22 mm quick-release fittings, giving you a straightforward route from a washable training strap to a dressier band.

For most active buyers staying below the limit, the Bip 6 remains the sensible answer: it gives you the most complete fitness-and-smartwatch balance without relying on an expired support window or stretching beyond the stated budget.

Frequently asked questions

These answers cover the practical features that are easy to overlook when comparing displays, batteries and workout modes.

Can I make and take Bluetooth calls from each watch?

Yes. Redmi Watch 6, CMF Watch 3 Pro, Huawei Watch Fit 3 and Amazfit Bip 6 can make and receive Bluetooth calls while paired with a phone.

Can I listen to music without taking my phone on a run?

Only in specific pairings: Redmi Watch 6 and Huawei Watch Fit 3 can play stored music through Bluetooth headphones when paired with an Android phone. CMF Watch 3 Pro and Amazfit Bip 6 control music on your phone rather than providing phone-free playback.

Are the heart-rate, sleep and blood-oxygen readings medically reliable?

No. Use these readings as personal wellness information; if you need diagnosis, monitoring or treatment, rely on appropriate medical advice and equipment.