The days of smartwatches being glorified step counters are long gone.
In 2025, even entry-level and mid-range wearables are loaded with features that would have seemed futuristic just a few years ago.
The Apple Watch SE 3 now ships with an always-on display, fall detection, crash detection, and sleep apnea alerts, while ultra-affordable options like the CMF Watch Pro 3 offer SpO2 and GPS capabilities.
Mid-range watches can also do a lot more than before. Models such as Amazfit's T-Rex 3 Pro come with scratch-resistant sapphire glass, and a built-in LED flashlight, speaker and microphone.
With so much tech filtering down, it’s worth asking: what should you expect as the baseline before spending your money?
Below are five non-negotiable features that every self-respecting smartwatch aficionado should consider before purchasing their next wearable in 2025.
Sleep tracking is no longer optional
Basic “time in bed” summaries don’t cut it anymore. Sleep stages, quality scoring, and recovery insights are table stakes in 2025.
The best Garmin, Fitbit, Samsung, and even Amazfit devices have made nightly sleep metrics a standard feature, and you can expect your next watch to offer them too.
Apple just joined the club, too, meaning that no ecosystem should be without advanced sleep tracking capabilities in 2025.
Body temperature is everywhere
Temperature sensors have quietly become the most useful all-day metric, underpinning recovery scores, illness detection and menstrual health insights.
Apple, Oura and Samsung led the way, but the feature is now creeping into most watches launched this year.
In addition to tracking your sleep quality, temperature sensors can also inform your wearable device (and the algorithm) about your recovery progress and potential illness onset.
Oxygen saturation and stress monitoring
SpO2, or blood oxygen saturation, indicates how efficiently your body transports oxygen.
At rest, it can flag issues like sleep apnea or altitude adaptation, while during workouts, it’s a handy indicator of how well you’re coping with intensity.
Stress monitoring, typically powered by heart-rate variability (HRV), reveals how your nervous system responds to training, work, and recovery.
Together, these metrics help you know when to push harder and when to back off, making your training safer and more effective.
These used to be “nice-to-haves,” but in 2025, they’re baseline health metrics.
GPS accuracy you can rely on
The technology to support dual-frequency/multi-band GPS requires a more advanced GPS chip and additional satellite support (e.g., L1 + L5 bands), which increases component costs.
However, multi-band GPS (dual-frequency) has trickled down from flagship outdoor watches to more affordable models, ensuring more accurate data for running, hiking, and cycling.
Watches such as the Coros Pace 3 or the new Google Pixel Watch 4 have dual-band GPS capabilities and cost a fraction of the price of the Garmin Fenix 8.
Any watch launched in 2025 without solid GPS isn’t worth your money.
Safety features save lives
Fall detection, crash detection, and SOS alerts are no longer exclusive to high-end models.
Apple, Samsung, Garmin and Amazfit all now include some form of safety function on their mainstream wearables.
The real winner: us
Features that were once exclusive to top-of-the-range flagships are now expected on entry to mid-range devices, with cheaper alternatives snapping at their heels.
If you’re shopping for a new wearable in late 2025, don’t settle for anything less than sleep tracking, skin temperature, SpO2, reliable GPS and basic safety alerts.
These are the new essentials; anything above that is just bonus points.
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