Wearable

22.05.2019 1:55

TOP 10 Best Smartwatches with NFC in 2019

As you know, the smartphone with NFC allows you to pay contactless. Today you don’t need the credit card. It is very convenient and useful function. It is not surprising that NFC is already in smartwatches and other wearable devices, such as fitness bracelets. Now you don’t even need the smartphone to pay for your order in the shop, if you already have smartwatch with NFC.

Moreover, the smartwatches with NFC provides not only contactless payment, but also control smart home gadgets, smart lock, file transfer, etc.

Before we start the TOP of best smartwatches with NFC, let’s talk about NFC techology.

What is NFC?

NFC is an abbreviation of Near Field Communication. In other words, this is a wireless data transmission technology that works at a short distance: the communication radius does not exceed 10 centimeters.

Information is exchanged between devices through a radio signal, therefore the process of establishing communication between devices is very fast – less than one tenth of a second. Another advantage of NFC is its small size and low power consumption. In addition, a small radius provides a safer use of technology.

NFC modules are integrated into payment terminals, turnstiles, locks, bank cards, smartphones, smartwatches, etc.

However, NFC doesn’t always mean that you can make contactless payments. For example, Xiaomi Mi Band 3 or Honor Band 4 fitness bracelets have NFC, but you can use them for contactless payments only in China, since they work with Ali Pay payment system.

Most smartwatches with NFC in 2019 work with their own payment system:

Apple – Apple Pay;
Garmin – Garmin Pay;
Huawei – Huawei Pay;
FitBit – FitBit Pay;
Samsung – Samsung Pay;
Wear OS Watch – Google Pay;
Xiaomi, Huami and some other manufacturers from China – Mi Pay or Ali Pay.

Therefore, when you choose a smartwatch with NFC for contactless payment, you need to find out whether the payment system is supported in your country. The largest coverage is provided by Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, Android Pay and Garmin Pay.

Now, let’s talk about the best smartwatches with NFC in 2019.

Apple Watch Series 4

Of course, we could not start the list from another smartwatch. Apple Watch Series 4 is one of the most popular smartwatch in 2019. According to the results of the first quarter of 2019, Apple Watch became the sales leader. Moreover, every third watch in the world is Apple Watch.

Apple Watch Series 4 is better than other smartwatches in terms of hardware, performance and a wide range of functions, including GPS, water resistance and swim tracking, advanced heart rate and ECG monitor.

Apple Watch Series 4: Features

Operating system: watchOS 5.
Compatibility: iOS.
Display: OLED Retina Touch 1.57 inch and 1.78 inch screen
Processor: Apple S4.
Built-in memory: 16GB.
Water protection: Up to 50 meters.
Battery Life: 18 hours.
Payment system: Apple Pay.
Price: From $399.

Apple Watch Series 4 uses Apple Pay payment system for contactless payment. It is already available in many countries, including Europe, Russia, Asia, etc.

The price depends on the size of the watch ($399 for the 40-mm version and $429 for 44-mm version), LTE (from $699) and strap material.

Pros:

Great design.
Good screen.
Different straps and accessories.
Many functions to track sports.
ECG sensor.

Cons:

Short battery life.
High price.
Compatible with iOS only.

Apple Watch Series 3

With the release of Series 4, Apple reduced the price of Watch Series 3, but the smartwatch is still great. Yes, it has a little worse performance, than Watch Series 4, and it doesn’t have ECG function, but Apple Watch Series 3 is still one of the best smartwatches with NFC in 2019.

Apple Watch Series 3 is waterproof up to 50 meters. It also has a GPS, and it can track many sport modes and other types of activity. For contactless payment, Apple Watch Series 3 uses the same Apple Pay payment system.

Apple Watch Series 3: Features

Operating system: watchOS 5.
Compatibility: iOS.
OLED Retina Touch Screen
Processor: Apple S3.
Built-in memory: up to 16GB.
Protection against water: Up to 50 meters.
Autonomy: 18 hours.
Payment system: Apple Pay.
Price: From $279.

Pros:

Beautiful design.
Good screen.
Many straps and accessories.
Many fucntions to track sports.
Affordable price.

Cons

Short battery life.
Compatible with iOS only.

Fossil Sport

Fossil Sport is the first smartwatch with new Snapdragon Wear 3100 processor, which replaced the outdated Wear 2100. Also, it has 512MB of RAM and 4GB of internal memory. The smartwatch is equipped with GPS and NFC, accelerometer and optical heart rate sensor.

Fossil Sport is a good smartwatch, which combines an affordable price, useful functions and stylish design. Android Wear OS operating system allows you to use all services from Google, including voice assistant, Google Maps and even Android Pay.

Fossil Sport: Features

Operating system Wear OS.
Compatibility: Android, iOS.
Screen: 1.2 inches OLED with a resolution of 390 x 390 pixels Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 3100.
Built-in memory: 4GB.
Water protection: IP68.
Battery Life: Up to 24 hours.
Payment system: Google Pay.
Price: From $255.

Pros:

NFC design with Google Pay support.
New Snapdragon Wear 3100 processor.
High build quality and materials.

Cons:

Low battery life.
Lack of advanced sports monitoring functions.
GPS is slow.

Samsung Galaxy Watch

Galaxy Watch is the flagship and the best smart atch from Samsung. In addition to the excellent design, it has very good features and specifications. This model is available in two sizes: 42 and 46 mm, so it is suitable for both women and men.

The smartwatch has 1.2 inch or 1.3 inch Super AMOLED screen. There is a rotating bezel, which is so loved by many users. It also has Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, NFC, GPS, accelerometer, gyroscope and optical heart rate sensor.

Unlike Samsung smartphones, which support contactless payments through Android Pay and Samsung Pay, you can use only Samsung Pay on smartwatch.

Galaxy Watch: Features

Operating system: Tizen OS.
Compatibility: Android, iOS.
Screen: 1.2 inch or 1.3 inch Super AMOLED.
Processor: Dual-core Exynos 9110 with a frequency of 1.15 GHz.
Built-in memory: 4GB.
Protection against water: Up to 50 meters.
Battery Life: From 3 – 7 days, depending on the model.
Payment system: Samsung Pay.
Price: $330-350 ($375 – $400 for LTE version).

Pros:

Design.
Many useful functions.
Easy navigation thanks to rotating bezel.
Good battery life.

Cons:

Only few body color options.
Samsung Pay is not supported everywhere.

Samsung Galaxy Watch Active

Galaxy Watch Active was introduced in early 2019. Its main difference from other Samsung’s smartwatches is the absence of a rotating bezel.

The screen of the smartwatch is Super AMOLED with a diagonal of 1.1-inches and resolution of 360 x 360 pixels. The watch case has a diameter of 40 mm. Also it has a proection according to American military standard MIL-STD-810G.

Samsung Watch Active is powered by dual core processor Exynos 9110, 768MB of RAM and 4GB of internal memory.

The other features and functions of new smartwatch are about the same as Galaxy Watch. It has NFC, GPS, Bluetooth 4.2 and Wi-Fi, a gyroscope, an accelerometer, a barometer, an ambient light sensor and heart rate monitor. Also, this model is able to measure blood pressure.

Galaxy Watch Active: Features

Operating system: Tizen OS.
Compatibility: Android, iOS.
Screen: 1.1 inch Super AMOLED.
Processor: Dual-core Exynos 9110 with a frequency of 1.15 GHz. Built-in memory: 4 GB.
Protection: 5ATM + IP68 / MIL-STD-810G
Autonomy: 2 to 3 days.
Payment system: Samsung Pay.
Price: $199

Pros:

Very light and compact.
Stylish design.
Many functions.
Affordable price.
Blood pressure monitor.

Cons:

No rotating bezel.
Large bezel around the screen.
Battery life less than other models.

Mobvoi TicWatch Pro

At the price of about $250, Mobvoi TicWatch Pro is one of the best smartwatches with NFC running on Wear OS operating system. Having a very stylish design, the smartwatch has almost all the necessary functions: GPS, NFC, accelerometer, heart rate sensor and much more.

One of the features of smartwatch is two types of screen, arranged one above the other. The main OLED screen has a diagonal of 1.4 inches and resolution of 400 x 400 pixels. The second LCD screen displays only the most necessary information, such as time, date, heart rate and the number of steps. The manufacturer says that it allows to increase the battery life up to a maximum of 30 days, if you use only LCD screen.

The most significant disadvantage of TicWatch Pro is the outdated Snapdragon 2100 processor. However, the smartwatch supports Android Pay for contactless payment.

Ticwatch Pro: Features

Operating system Wear OS.
Compatibility: Android 4.3+, iOS 8+.
Screen: 1.4 inch OLED with a resolution of 400 x 400 pixels + LCD screen
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100.
Built-in memory: 4GB.
Water protection: IP68.
Battery Life: Up to 30 days.
Payment system: Google Pay.
Price: From $250.

Pros:

Google Pay.
Excellent battery life.
Innovative screen.
Competitive price.

Cons:

You have to sacrifice smart functions to increase battery life.
Outdated processor.

Garmin Vivoactive 3 Music

Garmin Vivoactive 3 Music smartwatch is suitable for everyday use as well as sports monitoring in gym and open air.

The variety of sensors used allows you to analyze the condition of human body, including stress levels, blood oxygen levels, heart rate, speed, travelled distance and much more. In addition to the standard heart rate sensor and accelerometer, the smartwatch is also equipped with thermometer, barometric altimeter, compass, gyroscope, GPS and NFC. Payment is made using Garmin Pay payment system.

One of the advantages of Vivoactive 3 Music is transflective touch screen, which is perfectly visible in any light. Water resistant to 50 meters allows you to track the swim and more than 15 other sports activities.

By the way, this is not the only Garmin smartwatch with NFC. The manufacturer also has Fenix 5 Plus, Forerunner 645 and Forerunner 645 Music, Garmin Forerunner 945 and others. However, they are more specialized models, so we did not include them in this article.

Vivoactive 3: Features

Operating system: Branded OS.
Compatibility: Android, iOS.
Screen: 1.2 inches transflective with a resolution of 240 x 240 pixels.
Processor: unknown
Built-in memory: 4GB.
Protection against water: 5 ATM.
Autonomy: Up to 7 days.
Payment system: Garmin Pay.
Price: From $250.

Pros:

Garmin Pay.
Excellent battery life.
Transflective screen.
Competitive price.

Cons:

Garmin Pay is not available in all countries.

Huawei Watch 2 (2018)

In 2019 Huawei released an updated version of its smartwatch called Watch 2 Pro. In fact, there are two versions: one with nano-SIM support, while the second with only eSIM support. Both of them have 1.2-inch OLED-screen with resolution of 390 x 390 pixels and Snapdragon Wear 2100 processor paired with 768 MB of RAM and 4 GB of internal memory.

Also, smartwatches received GPS and NFC with support of Google Play payment system. For lovers of a healthy lifestyle, there is a heart rate sensor and accelerometer for counting steps, calories and distance traveled. The watch is protected from water and dust according to IP68 standard.

One of the weakest points of Huawei Watch 2 is battery life. The battery with capacity of 420 mAh is enough for only 1 day of active use. The price of Huawei smartwatch is from $240 to $310, depending on version.

Huawei Watch 2: Features

Operating system Wear OS.
Compatibility: Android, iOS.
Screen: 1.2 inches OLED with a resolution of 390 x 390 pixels.
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100.
Built-in memory: 4GB.
Water protection: IP68.
Battery Lufe: 1 day
Payment system: Google Pay
Price: From $240.

Pros:

NFC with Google Pay support.
Many useful functions.
SIM card slot.
Design.

Cons:

Low battery life.
Limited activity tracking.
Outdated processor.

Misfit Vapor 2

Misfit Vapor 2 is Misfit’s second smartwatch on Wear OS. The second generation smartwatch has NFC with support of Google Pay, GPS and optical heart rate sensor. Also, the watch is water resistance up to 30 meters.

The design of Misfit Vapor 2 is very simple with a stainless steel dial and AMOLED screen with high resolution and diagonal of 1.2 or 1.4 inches.

The smartwatch is powered by standard Snapdragon Wear 2100 with 512MB of RAM and 4GB of internal memory. As we already said, Wear OS is used as operating system. The battery capacity is 300 or 330 mAh, depending on dial size.

Misfit Wapor 2: Features

Operating system Wear OS.
Compatibility: Android, iOS.
Screen: 1.2 or 1.4 inches OLED.
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100.
Built-in memory: 4GB.
Protection against water: 3 ATM.
Battery Life: 1 day
Payment system: Google Pay
Price: From $250.

Pros:

NFC with Google Pay support.
Good functions.
Design.

Cons:

Low battey life.
Very simple design.
Outdated processor.

Skagen Falster 2

The Denmark brand Skagen is famous for very stylish and high-quality watches with a minimalist design. Falster 2 is no exception. 1.19-inch touch screen is packed in a compact body with a diameter of 40 mm, so the smartwatch is suitable for both women and men. There are many different leather and metal straps.

If don’t take into account Snapdragon Wear 2100 processor, the hardware of Falster 2 is similar to Fossil Sport, about which we already talked in this article. However, this is not surprising, because Skagen smartwatch is produced by Fossil company.

The smartwatch is equipped with heart rate sensor, GPS and NFC with support of Google Pay payment system. Of course, Skagen Falster 2 has all typical functions for Wear OS operating system, starting from Google Assistant voice assistant, Play Store, tracking activity in Google Fit app, and ending with calls and messages notifications from smartphone.

Skagen Falster 2: Features

Operating system Wear OS.
Compatibility: Android, iOS.
Screen: 1.19 inch OLED.
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100.
Built-in memory: 4GB.
Protection against water: 3 ATM.
Battery Life: 1 day
Payment system: Google Pay
Price: From $275 US.

Pros:

NFC with Google Pay support.
Minimalist design.
Many functions.
Excellent quality.

Cons:

Low battery life.
Outdated processor.

Of course, this is not a ful list of smartwatches with NFC. Only Fossil has several dozen models with NFC. This company also produces smartwatches with NFC for other brands, such as Diesel On Full Guard 2.5, Kate Spade Scallop 2, Michael Kors Access Runway, Armani Exchange Connected and many others.

As you can see, there are many options to choose from. However, in our opinion, the smartwatches from this article are the best ones in 2019.