The days when you could listen to podcasts and audiobooks only on your computer or smartphone are dead and long gone.
Wearable brands such as Samsung, Fitbit, Garmin, and Apple Watches have built the best smartwatches that you can use to listen to the same audio files – without ever having to reach out for your phone or laptop.
But what are the best smartwatches for podcasts and audiobooks in a market that spoils you for choice? Well, you might want to consider the following options:
How to Choose the Best Smartwatch for Podcasts and Audiobooks
The following are the most important factors to consider before you pay for a smartwatch for listening to podcasts:
1. Design
The design aspect of a smartwatch isn’t something you want to overlook, even when it comes to identifying a model to use to listen to podcasts and audiobooks.
Design beyond a clear, colorful screen with a responsive display. A good smartwatch should be comfortable right from the moment you wrap it around your wrist and lightweight enough to wear for an extended period.
2. The Mobile OS Ecosystem
The smartwatch you choose will highly depend on the type of smartphone that you have.
If you use an iPhone, which runs on iOS 14 or higher, you can invest in an Apple Watchor a different wearable that has an iOS app, such as the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5.
If you use an Android smartphone, you should invest in a good smartwatch other than an Apple Watch. Apple Watches don’t work with Android, as the brand has the completely locked into the iOS ecosystem.
It’s quite as simple as that.
3. Battery Life
Another thing I want you to think about when looking for the best smartwatch for listening to audiobooks and podcasts is how long the battery lasts on a single charge.
In my experience, most podcasts and audiobooks tend to last between 45 minutes and 4 hours give or take. So, if you’re going to use the wearable device solely for this purpose, any model should do.
But here’s the thing:
It’s unlikely that the smartwatch you choose will be only for podcasts. For example, you may decide to use the watch to stream music or track your health and fitness. And these affect how long the battery is likely to last on a single charge.
A good watch should have a runtime of 5 to 7 days on a single charge. But it’s fine to go for the likes of Apple Watch that last only 18 hours max if you don’t mind frequent charging.
4. Price
Every wearable brand prices their smartwatches differently. Even if you think that one smartwatch model has features similar to a model from a different brand, price is never going to be constant factor.
So, look at your budget. Determine how much you can pay for an innovative timepiece with smart features, and then buy a model that suits your budget.
3 Best Smartwatches for Podcasts and Audiobooks
While there are many smartwatches that you can use to listen to podcasts and audiobooks, I found the following four models to be worth trying:
1. Fossil Gen 5 Smartwatch
The Fossil Gen 5 Smartwatch stands out to me as a lifestyle package that gives you more for a fair price point.
It features a clear AMOLED display with a round-shaped bezel about 1.28 inches in diameter. In multiple testing, the touchscreen felt smooth to touch and exceedingly responsive, giving a better swiping experience if not a perfect one.
When it comes to the companion app, the Fossil Get 5 is 100% cross OS compatible. It means you can use it with your Android smartphone or iPhone.
This smartwatch has a storage of 8 GB, enough to store multiple podcasts and audiobooks to listen to offline. The 1 GB RAM ensures smooth performance, which means you don’t have to worry about the watch freezing up.
Like Apple, Fossil doesn’t play well in the battery life field. On full charge, you get a runtime of up to 24 hours. That’s good enough for listening to audiobooks and podcasts, but you do get less when you activate other apps.
Yet given that it takes 120 minutes to charge the battery to full capacity, Fossil Gen 5 is no doubt a bargain for your purpose and price.
Pros
- You get enough storage space to store your files.
- It’s an affordable watch with a huge following.
- Fast processing and great user experience guaranteed.
Cons
- The battery life could have been better.
- You get a terrible battery runtime on GPS mode.
2. Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 for Audible
If you want to keep it Samsung, I would recommend you check out the Galaxy Watch 5, a smartwatch with a ton of bells and whistles that justifies the price point.
This smartwatch features a round, 1.4-inch AMOLED display that offers a 450 x 450 pixels resolution. And given how responsive the screen is to taps and swipes, it’s very easy to shift between audio files.
You get 16 GB internal storage, which enough to store your audio files for offline use. Furthermore, the 1.5 GB ensures fast retrieval, opening, and playback of your audible and podcasts, and it’s unlikely you’ll notice a performance lack.
The battery life isn’t decent, but it isn’t bad either. You get between a day and a day and a half of runtime on a single charge. And it takes roughly 90 minutes to charge the battery to full capacity.
Pros
- You can download podcasts for offline playback.
- There’s enough storage to store your audio files.
Cons
- Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 is expensive.
- The battery runtime on a single charge could use some upgrade.
3. Apple Watch Series 8
The Apple Watch Series 8 offers the biggest bang for the bucks because it gives you access to multiple podcast streaming services, including Overcast, Pocket Casts, Apple Podcast, Spotify, and TuneIn.
Unlike Fossil Gen 5 and Samsung Galaxy Watch 5, the Apple Watch Series 8 features a slightly curved rectangular 1.96 inches Retina LTPO OLED display.The size of the display is enough for every finger, and that makes navigating your favorite podcast app much easier.
Inside the Apple Watch Series 8 is an eMMC 5.1 card. Combined with 1GB of RAM, you don’t expect the watch to lag or freeze when running multiple apps simultaneously.
Moreover, the 16 GB of internal storage lets you download podcasts to listen offline. And if you don’t want to fill that much space with different audio files, you can just connect the watch to a secure Wi-Fi network and stream the podcasts online.
Pros
- You get access to multiple audio streaming apps.
- Apple Watch Series 8 has a decent storage.
- Its eMMC chip ensures fast performance.
Cons
- Apple Watch Series 8 only works with iPhones.
- It doesn’t have a decent battery life.
- Series 8 may be expensive for some people.
Final Thoughts
Listening to podcasts and audiobooks may not be something you do every day. But it can go a long way to teach you a new lesson or inspire you to think and act in a certain way.
And given that there are smartwatches that allow you to listen to podcasts on the go, the convenience that wearable technology can add to your life is no doubt incredible.
I hope the option you end up picking from this list serves your purpose well for months and years to come.
