Which smartwatch has microphone and speaker?

Smartwatches are wearable devices that act as an extension of a smartphone, delivering notifications, messages, and information directly to the user’s wrist. They have sensors like accelerometer, heart rate monitor, GPS, and microphones and speakers that allow hands-free usage. The addition of microphone and speaker allows smartwatches to be used for calls, voice assistants, voice memos, media playback, and more without needing a paired phone nearby. These key features make smartwatches highly versatile and customizable for each user’s needs.

Why Smartwatches Need Microphone and Speaker

Smartwatches with microphone and speaker capabilities allow for key features like voice calling, voice assistants, voice dictation, and more. Being able to make and receive calls directly on your wrist, without needing to grab your phone, offers convenience and flexibility. According to a Reddit user, having a microphone enables composing emails, texts, and more just using your voice. The speaker allows you to hear the other caller during a call or get audible responses and alerts from a voice assistant like Siri or Google Assistant.

Having both a mic and speaker built into your smartwatch makes features like these possible without needing to pair wireless headphones. The mic picks up your voice commands and calls while the speaker plays back audio. This allows for a seamless voice experience and hands-free use while on the go, working out, driving or anytime your hands are occupied.

Popular Smartwatch Models

When it comes to popular smartwatch models on the market today, the Apple Watch, Samsung Galaxy Watch, and Fitbit Versa lead the pack. These smartwatches come packed with features while also offering slim and stylish designs.

The Apple Watch is one of the most popular smartwatches available. It syncs seamlessly with other Apple devices like iPhones and iPads and runs on Apple’s watchOS. The Apple Watch has a large app ecosystem, lets you stream music and take calls directly on your wrist, and comes in a few different case sizes and finishes.

Samsung’s Galaxy Watch is a top contender for Android users. It has a classy circular design and a rotating bezel that allows for easy scrolling through apps. The Galaxy Watch can track over 40 different exercises and features advanced sleep tracking capabilities. It provides multi-day battery life and is waterproof as well.

Fitbit’s Versa smartwatch offers a more affordable price point than the Apple Watch and Galaxy Watch. It provides detailed activity and sleep tracking, includes guided breathing exercises, stores hundreds of songs, and offers multi-day battery life. The Versa has Alexa built-in, provides call, text, and app notifications, and comes in three different color and band options.

Smartwatches with Microphone

Many popular smartwatch models come equipped with a built-in microphone, allowing you to make calls, record voice memos, and utilize voice assistants hands-free. Some examples include:

Apple Watch Series 8 (1)

Apple Watch Series 9 (2)
Samsung Galaxy Watch 5
Samsung Galaxy Watch 4

Fossil Gen 6
Fitbit Versa 4
Garmin Venu 2 Plus

Having a microphone allows you to utilize convenient hands-free features like voice assistants, voice memos, and phone calls without needing to take out your phone.

Smartwatches with Speaker

Several popular smartwatch models come equipped with a built-in speaker. Some key examples include:

Samsung Gear S3 – The Gear S3 from Samsung has a built-in speaker that allows you to take calls directly on your wrist. You can also stream music and listen to playlists without needing headphones.

Apple Watch Series 7 – The latest Apple Watch Series 7 contains a speaker for phone calls as well as a walkie talkie mode. The speaker plays alarms, alerts and can stream audio.
Fitbit Versa 3 – The Fitbit Versa 3 smartwatch has a speaker that enables quick call answering via Bluetooth. You can also control music playback and listen to podcasts directly on your wrist.
Fossil Gen 5 – Select Fossil Gen 5 smartwatch models contain built-in speakers. This allows you to take calls through the watch itself without needing your phone nearby.

Motorola Moto 360 – The 3rd generation Moto 360 smartwatch from Motorola has a speaker for taking calls. You can also use it for Google Assistant responses and alarms.

Having a speaker built into a smartwatch allows you to take calls, listen to music or podcasts, and hear alarms/alerts without needing wireless headphones connected. Top models from Samsung, Apple, Fitbit and more offer this feature.

Smartwatches with Both Microphone and Speaker

When looking for a smartwatch with both microphone and speaker functionality, some of the top options include:

Apple Watch

All models of the Apple Watch contain both a microphone and speaker, allowing you to make calls directly from your wrist. The microphone and speaker quality are very good, providing clear audio for phone calls. The Apple Watch pairs to iPhones, and you can access Siri by holding down the digital crown.

Samsung Galaxy Watch

The Galaxy Watch line from Samsung also has built-in microphones and speakers. This enables you to make and receive calls right on your Galaxy Watch when paired to your smartphone via Bluetooth. The microphone and speaker work well for short conversations. The latest Galaxy Watch models also support Bixby voice assistance.

Fitbit Versa and Sense

Fitbit’s smartwatch offerings, the Versa and Sense, contain microphones and speakers allowing you to take quick phone calls on your wrist. While the microphone and speaker performance is decent, audio quality is not quite as good as an Apple Watch or Galaxy Watch.

So in summary, for full microphone and speaker functionality on a smartwatch, Apple Watch and Samsung Galaxy Watch models are great options with excellent call quality.

Microphone and Speaker Quality

Having a microphone and speaker on a smartwatch allows you to make and receive calls directly from your wrist. However, call quality can vary a lot between different smartwatch models. Factors like microphone sensitivity, noise cancellation, speaker volume and clarity all impact how well the audio comes through.

One of the most important considerations is how well the microphone picks up your voice, while minimizing background noise. Smartwatches with multiple microphones and noise cancellation technology often provide clearer call audio. The speaker loudness and quality is also key – you want to be able to hear the caller clearly without straining. Frequency response, volume and distortion all affect speaker performance.

Reviews of popular smartwatch models note that call quality can be a hit or miss feature. For example, the microphone and speaker performance on the Apple Watch is regarded as very good for a smartwatch. However, some users report the Samsung Galaxy Watch’s audio can sound muffled or echoey. Trying the calling feature in-store can help assess quality.

Overall, smartwatch technology continues improving in this area. But manage expectations around call clarity – while decent for short calls, ambient noise and small speakers limit sound quality versus a smartphone.

Other Features to Consider

In addition to microphone and speaker capabilities, there are other important features to look for when choosing a smartwatch:

Battery life – Longer battery life allows you to go days without charging your smartwatch. Look for models with at least 24 hours of battery life. The Samsung Galaxy Watch offers up to 4 days of battery.

Display – A quality display with vibrant colors and brightness is essential. OLED and AMOLED screens provide excellent image quality. The Apple Watch has a bright OLED display.

Apps – You’ll want access to popular apps like messages, music, fitness, maps, and more. The Fitbit Versa 2 offers thousands of apps.

Fitness tracking – Most smartwatches have built-in sensors to track steps, heart rate, sleep patterns and more. Advanced models like the Garmin Forerunner track metrics like VO2 max.

Water resistance – Look for water resistance if you’ll be wearing your smartwatch while swimming or in the rain. The Apple Watch Series 4 is swimproof.

Price Range

The price range for smartwatches varies quite a bit, from budget models to premium flagship devices. On the lower end, you can find smartwatches starting around $50-100 from brands like Xiaomi, Amazfit, and Honor. These provide basic fitness tracking and notifications, often with plastic bodies and limited features. In the mid-range around $150-300 are options like Fitbit Versa and Samsung Galaxy Watch Active with more fitness metrics, built-in GPS, music storage, swim tracking and improved materials.

The premium end includes the Apple Watch starting at $350, Garmin smartwatches around $350-500, and higher-end Samsung Galaxy Watch models in the $300-400 range. These feature advanced health monitoring, onboard maps, contactless payments, always-on displays, high-quality materials like stainless steel and sapphire glass, and LTE cellular connectivity.

So there are affordable options starting around $50 while premium models aimed at enthusiasts, fitness pros, and power users go up to $500. Consider how you’ll use the smartwatch and your budget to find the right balance of features and price.

Conclusion

Smartwatches with built-in microphone and speaker provide added versatility and functionality. The ability to take calls and interact with voice assistants directly from your wrist is a major perk. Based on the models reviewed, the Apple Watch and Samsung Galaxy Watch lineups stand out as top picks that offer both microphone and speaker. While microphone and speaker quality varies between models, brands like Apple and Samsung generally provide a better overall experience.

If you don’t need full calling capabilities, smartwatches like the Fitbit Sense or Garmin Venu 2 still allow you to leverage voice commands while maintaining a focus on health and fitness tracking. And for more budget-friendly options, Amazfit models like the GTS 3 provide solid microphone and speaker features at a lower price point.

Ultimately, consider how you plan to use your smartwatch. If you want to regularly take calls or interact with voice assistants from your wrist, prioritize models with quality microphone and speaker. But there are great options with more limited microphone/speaker capabilities too. Do your research, try on different models, and choose the right balance of features, price, and style for your needs.