Is the Moto Watch Fit the affordable Apple Watch alternative for Android users that no one saw coming?

Nowadays, Motorola is probably not the first name that springs to mind when you think of the best smartwatches, but the brand has quietly made a comeback of late in the form of the Moto Watch Fit, a lightweight, no-nonsense fitness watch designed for Android users.

It undercuts most of the competition in terms of price point while offering a surprisingly (almost) complete feature set, including built-in GPS, a 1.9-inch AMOLED screen, 100+ sports modes, sleep tracking and up to a whopping 16 days of battery life.

While that sounds amazing on paper, does it stack up in real life? Well, to find out, I’ve been wearing it daily for a few weeks, pairing it with my everyday Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra smartphone to test out syncing, fitness tracking and general usability. It might look like an Apple Watch at first glance, but this is a very different beast under the hood. And in a good way? You’re about to find out…

Moto Watch Fit review

Price and availability

The Moto Watch Fit is available to buy now directly from Motorola’s website for £89.99 in the UK. Strangely, in the US, it carries a much more expensive price tag of $199.99. Over in Europe, however, the opposite is true, selling in some markets, such as Germany, for just €79 (£69 / $92).

Regardless of where you buy it, it’ll come bundled with the Trekking Green model I tested, with a Velcro-style fabric strap and a standard 22mm lug adapter in the box.

For those based in the UK and Europe, this watch is very competitively priced, going head-to-head with entry-level models from Amazfit, Huawei, and even budget Fitbits, making it one of the cheapest smartwatches with built-in GPS currently available. The same can’t be said if you’re US-based, though.

Specifications

• Screen: 1.9-inch AMOLED, Gorilla Glass 3
• Case Material: Aluminium + plastic back
• Water Resistance: 5ATM / IP68
• Battery Life: Up to 16 days (realistically 8–12 days)
• Sports Modes: 100+
• Smart Features: Notifications, GPS, Health Tracking
• Price: From £89.99 / $199.99

Design and build quality

You’d have to be blind not to see how much the Moto Watch Fit gives off Apple Watch vibes, but once it’s on your wrist, the differences become obvious. And not in a good way, unfortunately. While the aluminium casing is matte and minimalist - with the plastic back keeping the overall weight down to a featherlight 25g (without the strap) - it does feel pretty cheap overall.

The strap is the main culprit here. While it’s a breathable, elasticated fabric loop (awkwardly similar to Apple’s Sport Loop bands) that uses Velcro to fasten, it just feels low quality. The Velcro feels a little coarse and so is almost itchy feeling on the wrist.

The colour is also a bit of an odd choice if you ask me (I mean, green isn’t at the top of most people’s favourite colour list, is it). Motorola calls this particular shade of green “Trekking Green”, probably because it has a yellow stripe running through - another lovely choice of colour there.

Once on the wrist, though, the watch isn’t uncomfortable, and it is secure enough for workouts. It just doesn’t feel as premium as Apple’s Sport Loop, which it has clearly ripped off. And you can always swap it for any standard 22mm strap using the included lug adapters, which gives it some scope for customisation, thankfully.

As for the body of the watch, it’s slim at just 9.5mm thick, and sits flush against the wrist with no protrusions or weird angles. There’s a single tactile button on the side for powering on, returning home or launching shortcuts, but no digital crown or dial. Navigation is entirely handled by the touchscreen.

That screen is one of the stronger aspects of the Moto Watch Fit’s design. It’s a 1.9-inch AMOLED panel with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 for durability. It’s not edge-to-edge - bezels are present and rather chunky compared to pricier rivals - but it’s colourful, crisp, and bright enough to view outdoors. The screen supports an always-on display mode too, which is rare at this price point.

Build-wise, it’s 5ATM and IP68 water-resistant, so safe enough for swims, showers and sweaty gym sessions. I wore it in the shower, and it held up fine. Just be aware it’s certified for fresh water only, so it might be best to take it off before going skinny-dipping in the sea.

Features and performance

The Moto Watch Fit ditches Google’s Wear OS in favour of its own stripped-back system - and in this instance, I think it was a smart move. You don’t get the bells and whistles of a full smartwatch, but what you do get is a watch that just works. There’s no Wi-Fi setup, no crashing apps, no waiting around while it syncs. It’s refreshingly no-fuss, and it’s probably what this low-cost watch needed to run smoothly.

Even without Wear OS, it still covers all the basics, like steps, calories, heart rate, SpO2, stress levels and sleep tracking - and seems to do them well. There are over 100 sports modes, from running and walking to more niche stuff like rowing and badminton.

While I didn’t get a chance to try them all because I am not insane, I found the ones I did try worked relatively well and as expected. As with most smartwatches and fitness trackers, most of them don’t offer wildly different data, and you’ll need to start them manually (no auto-detection here), but the onboard GPS means it’ll still map your outdoor routes accurately enough for everyday training.

Performance-wise, Moto’s fitness tracker impresses for the most part. The interface is clean and easy to use, and it didn’t lag once during my testing. Swiping through tiles, launching a workout, and checking stats all felt very snappy.

Although there’s no mic or speaker – you won’t be taking calls or chatting to a voice assistant – but notifications come through with a nice buzz, and the vibration intensity can be tweaked if you prefer something less jump-scare-inducing.

All your data lands in the Moto Watch app (Android-only), which is basic but does the job. You won’t find the deeper integration or coaching tools you might get from more premium brands, but it does let you set up the watch, view health and fitness data, switch watch faces, and customise features like the vibration strength or quick access tiles. You can also link it to Google Health Connect if you’re using other apps like MyFitnessPal or Strava.

As you’d expect from a brand that isn't one of the big players in the wearable space, the app lacks polish compared to Apple, Fitbit or Garmin’s software, but at least it doesn’t bombard you with upselling or subscriptions, which is a relief. Syncing was fast and reliable for the most part, though occasionally I had to manually reconnect the watch via Bluetooth.

And as I already mentioned, the Moto Watch Fit is an Android-only device. It’s a shame there’s no iOS support at all, as this might have been a nice, affordable option for those iPhone users who don't want to splurge on an Apple Watch. Oh well, you made your bed!

Battery life

This is where the Moto Watch Fit truly shines. Motorola claims up to 16 days on a single charge, which is a bold claim, and one that, surprisingly, isn’t far off.

In my testing, with the always-on display off and a moderate number of notifications and workouts, I got around 12 or so days before needing to top up. With heavier GPS use and the screen constantly on, expect that to drop closer to a week. While this sounds like a big difference to the claimed 16 hours, it’s still massively ahead of smartwatches like the Pixel Watch or Galaxy Watch 6.

Charging is via a proprietary USB-C cable, and if you’re in a rush, Motorola claims a five-minute charge gives you a day of use.

Verdict

The Moto Watch Fit is an affordable fitness watch that nails the basics. While it feels cheap compared to pricier rivals, it still looks decent, tracks the essentials well, lasts ages between charges and is comfortable enough to wear throughout the day.

Sure, the strap feels a bit cheap, and you miss out on some smart features like third-party apps or voice control, but at this price, it’s hard to complain.

If you’re after a smartwatch for making calls, downloading Spotify or controlling your smart home, this isn’t the one. But if you want a reliable, low-maintenance tracker that just gets on with the job and doesn’t break the bank, the Moto Watch Fit is well worth a gander.