Best 2023 Smartwatches for outdoor visibility

#1 Samsung Galaxy Watch 6
5.0

Outdoor visibility was a major strength, with reviewers repeatedly saying the brighter display was easy to read in sunlight and outdoor conditions.

Pros: voice assistant quality, music controls

Cons: blood oxygen tracking, cross-platform compatibility

#2 Garmin Approach S70
5.0

Outdoor visibility is excellent in the evidence, including no issues in sun, glare, or bright conditions.

Pros: recovery insights, GPS accuracy

Cons: software smoothness, fitness tracking accuracy

#3 Garmin Venu 3
5.0

Outdoor visibility is excellent in the scored evidence, with reviewers reporting easy readability in direct sunlight and bright conditions.

Pros: health tracking accuracy, software smoothness

Cons: LTE connectivity, mapping and navigation

#4 Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro
4.9

Outdoor visibility was praised in the reviews that tested it, with sunlight and varied lighting conditions handled well.

Pros: pairing reliability, outdoor visibility

Cons: ECG functionality, running power support

#5 Casio G-Shock GBD-H2000
4.8

Outdoor visibility is a major strength, with multiple reviewers finding the display easy to read outdoors and in bright sunlight.

Pros: brightness, charging convenience

Cons: ECG functionality, stress tracking

#6 Garmin Epix Pro (Gen 2)
4.7

Outdoor visibility is excellent across sun, water, and low-light use, with repeated praise for AMOLED readability.

Pros: GPS accuracy, charging speed

Cons: ECG functionality, voice assistant quality

#7 Casio G-Shock DW-H5600
4.6

Outdoor visibility is a clear strength, with repeated praise for bright-light readability and legibility at angles.

Pros: durability, outdoor visibility

Cons: app ecosystem, third-party app support

#8 Garmin Forerunner 965
4.5

Outdoor visibility was praised in sun, water, and all-light conditions, despite AMOLED battery tradeoffs.

Pros: water resistance, workout tracking variety

Cons: LTE connectivity, ECG functionality

#9 Garmin Vivoactive 5
4.5

Outdoor visibility was strongly positive, with reviewers reporting easy readability in bright conditions and while moving.

Pros: fitness tracking accuracy, wellness insights

Cons: software smoothness, ECG functionality

#10 Suunto Vertical
4.3

Outdoor visibility was usually strong in bright sun, but long-term testing noted glare in some cloudy conditions.

Pros: battery life, durability

Cons: resume later function, ECG functionality

#11 TicWatch Pro 5
4.3

Outdoor visibility was generally good because of the low-power display, even though glare hurt one review's display score.

Pros: contactless payments, battery life

Cons: voice assistant quality, LTE connectivity

#12 Xiaomi Redmi Watch 4
4.3

Outdoor visibility is strong, with reviewers reporting clear or problem-free readability outside.

Pros: battery life, software smoothness

Cons: contactless payments, recovery insights

#13 Garmin Forerunner 265
4.2

Outdoor visibility was mostly strong in bright conditions, though one reviewer had trouble on sunny days and another noted polarized-sunglasses caveats.

Pros: step counting accuracy, third-party app support

Cons: ECG functionality, LTE connectivity

#14 Amazfit Bip 5
3.9

Outdoor visibility is generally usable, with praise for visibility in bright conditions, though one lab review noted glare and weaker contrast.

Pros: comfort, touchscreen responsiveness

Cons: calorie tracking usefulness, onboard music storage

#15 Amazfit GTR Mini
3.9

Outdoor visibility was generally good, though direct sunlight produced mixed comments and one reviewer said sunny-day readability was only just enough.

Pros: pairing reliability, workout tracking variety

Cons: contactless payments, onboard music storage

#16 Withings ScanWatch 2
3.8

Outdoor visibility was mixed: some found the OLED readable in all conditions, while others found bright light made the tiny screen harder to see.

Pros: Bluetooth connectivity, pairing reliability

Cons: third-party app support, contactless payments

#17 Garmin vivomove Trend
3.8

Outdoor visibility was improved for several reviewers, though some still found the display reflective or harder to read in strong sunlight.

Pros: activity auto-detection, build quality

Cons: blood oxygen tracking, Bluetooth connectivity

#18 Withings ScanWatch Nova
3.7

Outdoor visibility was mixed: some reviewers found the OLED readable in sunlight, while others struggled with direct sun or reflections.

Pros: battery life, heart rate accuracy

Cons: third-party app support, GPS accuracy

#19 Garmin fēnix 7X Pro
3.5

Outdoor visibility was split between praise for readable data fields at high output and complaints that the screen is hard to see in daylight.

Pros: GPS accuracy, app ecosystem

Cons: ECG functionality, calorie tracking usefulness

#20 Withings ScanWatch Light
1.8

Outdoor visibility is poor in direct sunlight according to the reviewer who tested the display outdoors.

Pros: comfort, build quality

Cons: call handling, contactless payments