Garmin Vivoactive 4, Venu 2 or Apple Watch series 7. These are the three that most suit my lifestyle but can’t really decide on which one to buy.I do a lot of running and cycling with a lot of tennis in between. Thanks for any help. from GarminWatches At some point, all of us want to listen to our music on our smartwatches without lugging around our phones! Show
To clarify, when we say onboard music, we mean that you can download and store music on your watch for offline listening. It’s very different than streaming music from the internet. Onboard music plays even when you don’t have an internet connection–because that music is stored offline inside your device. Strangely, it’s often not clear if a smartwatch or tracker allows you to store music. And that’s precisely why we’re here to help you out with this task! So, without any further ado, let us get right into it! Related reading
As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases using links in this post.Contents Things to keep an eye out forWhen checking out smartwatch reviews, the easiest way to find out if that watch or tracker stores music is by looking at the features list and technical specifications (tech specs.) When reviewing a watch’s technical specs, take a close look at the descriptions for music and storage. So let’s take a closer look at smartwatches with onboard offline music storage. Music StorageOne of the first things to check out in the technical specs is how much dedicated storage the smartwatch offers. The exact amount of storage space that you need for music depends on the size of your music library and its audio quality. And while there is no precise number for everyone, we recommend a minimum of a gigabyte or two (1 to 2 GB,) preferably more! Ideally, the more storage that you get, the better. Music SyncMost of us aren’t going to play our music only on a smartwatch or on a smartphone. Usually, people switch back and forth between devices depending on the situation – and that’s where music sync can come in handy. Music sync means that the watch automatically refreshes its music library and continues the same music playback on your other devices. Most premium smartwatches support it. But it’s still something to keep an eye on. Supported Music Streaming PlatformsWhat good is a smartwatch that plays music but it doesn’t support your favorite music streaming platform? Let’s clarify what music streaming is.
Most modern smartwatches allow both streaming and storing music. Watches, such as the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 and Galaxy Watch 4 come packaged with Spotify’s music streaming service support out of the box. Others, like the Garmin vivoactive 4, also offer support for subscriptions like Deezer and Amazon Music. Or Fitbit watches which offer a choice of Pandora, Deezer, and Spotify access (subscriptions required for use of these music services.) And, there are even some smartwatches that don’t offer music streaming at all and can only play songs stored locally – such as the Amazfit Stratos. So, before buying a smartwatch, make sure that it supports your favorite streaming platform – or local and offline playback if your music library is DRM-free. Ideally, if you’re looking for a watch that can play music without your phone and without a data connection, you want a watch with onboard music storage for offline listening. Battery LifeLast but not least, you don’t want your smartwatch to run out of battery life mid-session. So, pay attention to what the manufacturer claims and what reviewers report, but also keep in mind that battery life can significantly differ depending on usage. For example, LTE and GPS typically consume more battery than local music playback. And with all that out of the way, let us check out the best smartwatches with onboard music storage! 1: All Apple Watch models: most consistentThe good news for folks that love Apple products is that all Apple Watch Series models allow offline music storage! The only limitation is that you have sufficient storage space on your Apple Watch to store music (Apple allows you to use about 25% of your total watch storage for music.) Both new and old Apple Watch models also allow you to stream directly from Apple Music, Spotify, and other apps if you have the cellular version of the Apple Watch. These watches are a little pricy but worth owning, especially if your mobile phone is an iPhone. Apple Watch is one of the most versatile options for offline music storage. You can download music to your Apple Watch from a variety of sources, including Apple’s Music app, Apple Music subscription, Pandora, Spotify, and other apps. The major downside of the Apple Watch is its relatively short battery life–most people need to charge their watches every day. Additionally, you must connect a set of wireless headphones to listen to music on the Apple Watch. You cannot play music through the onboard watch speakers. Pros:
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Sale Apple Watch Series 8 [GPS 41mm] Smart Watch w/ Midnight Aluminum Case with Midnight Sport Band - S/M. Fitness Tracker, Blood Oxygen & ECG Apps, Always-On Retina Display, Water Resistant
$369.00 Buy on Amazon As an affiliate, we earn a commission if you purchase through this link2: Amazfit Stratos: good value for offline music storageThe Amazfit Stratos series of smartwatches offer great value for what it is. With the Stratos, you can store and play your music directly from your watch and listen offline via Bluetooth earphones. If you are looking for a smartwatch that can play DRM-free songs locally with built-in GPS, this is a great pick! Battery life: Up to 14 days (using endurance mode) Its 2GB of free space available for music should be more than enough for most people. But, one thing to keep in mind is that the Amazfit Stratos series doesn’t offer any form of cellular connectivity. So, if you plan on going fully smartphone-free now and then, you should probably look elsewhere. Amazfit Stratos 3 Sports Smartwatch Powered by FirstBeat, 1.34” Full Round Display, 80-Sports Modes, Standalone Music Playback, GPS, Bluetooth, Water Resistant, Black
Needless to say that it also supports step tracking, VO2 max, and other basic features that smartwatches come with. Plus, for those that love tracking your exercise routes, the Stratos supports four different global positioning systems: GPS, GLONASS, BEIDOU, and GALILEO, so you get accurate location information! Pros:
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Amazfit also offers other models with great offline music storage, including the Amazfit GTS 2 and Amazfit GTR 3. 3: Garmin vivoactive 4: great for health tracking with offline music storageIf you want to both stream music and get a lot of health features in one package, we’d recommend looking into Garmin’s offerings. Many of Garmin’s smartwatches offer offline music storage for phone-free and data-free listening. You can download hundreds of songs to your Garmin watch and even download playlists from some of the premium subscription music apps like Spotify, Deezer, and Amazon Music. Garmin offers music storage on a variety of its premium watches, including many of the Fenix, Venu, Forerunner, Legacy, Marq, and Quantix models. The Garmin vivoactive 4, in particular, is one of the best and most affordable smartwatches with onboard music storage right now. With the vivoactive 4, you can store up to 500 offline songs on your watch! Battery life: Up to 8 days It supports most of the popular streaming platforms, including Spotify, Amazon Music, and Deezer. One of its few downsides is that while Garmin Pay makes it much easier to pay on certain occasions, it’s still not supported in most places. Sale Garmin 010-02174-01 Vivoactive 4, GPS Smartwatch, Features Music, Body Energy Monitoring, Animated Workouts, Pulse Ox Sensors and More, Silver with Gray Band
$179.99 Buy on Amazon As an affiliate, we earn a commission if you purchase through this linkPros:
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4: Garmin Forerunner 645 Music: made for musicFor those of you who are looking specifically for a smartwatch that’s made for music and don’t care a lot about other health-related features, we can’t think of anything better than the Garmin Forerunner 645. Battery life: Up to 7 days It lacks a few advanced fitness tracking features, such as a Pulse Ox sensor. But, other than that, this is more or less another premium smartwatch with extensive support for music services and an attractive UI. Sale Garmin Forerunner 645 Music, GPS Running Watch With Pay Contactless Payments, Wrist-Based Heart Rate And Music, Black
$328.00 Buy on Amazon As an affiliate, we earn a commission if you purchase through this linkPros:
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Other great Garmin watch options for offline music listening include the Garmin Forerunner 245 Music, Garmin Forerunner 945, and Garmin Fenix 7. 5: Fossil Gen 5 or Gen 6: most stylistic wearOS music watch with offline music storageAs you probably already guessed by the title, one of the coolest things about the Fossil Gen 5 and 6 is that it gives you plenty of styling options. So, if you find looks to be just as important as features, the Fossil Gen 5 or 6 should be one of your first go-to smartwatches – be it for music or not. Plus, Wear OS gives you access to more apps than any other watch can offer, thanks to Google Play. Sale Fossil Unisex Gen 6 44mm Stainless Steel and Leather Touchscreen Smart Watch, Color: Black, Brown (Model: FTW4062V)
$179.99 Buy on Amazon As an affiliate, we earn a commission if you purchase through this linkBattery life: From 1 up to a few days (depending on battery mode and overall usage) The Fossil Gen 6 smartwatches run on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Wear 4100 Plus platform, so it’s much faster and more responsive than the Gen 5 ( powered by the older Snapdragon Wear 3100 SoC.) Sale Fossil 44mm Gen 5 Carlyle Stainless and Silicone Touchscreen Smart Watch with Heart Rate, Color: Black (Model: FTW4025)
$260.00 Buy on Amazon As an affiliate, we earn a commission if you purchase through this linkPros:
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6: Samsung Galaxy Watch 5/4 or 3: Best LTE Watch with offline music storageThe built-in GPS and onboard music storage that other smartwatches offer are no doubt features that help you use a smartwatch as it is without a smartphone. However, if you truly want to leave your phone behind, you’ll also need wireless connectivity at all times. And this is where the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5/4 (or the older model Watch 3) comes in! The big difference between the two, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 and 5+ run Google Wear OS 3 while the older Watch 3 runs Samsung’s Tizen OS. With Wear OS 3, the Samsung Galaxy 4+ Watch gives you access to a lot more apps via Google Play. SAMSUNG Galaxy Watch 4 Classic 46mm Smartwatch with ECG Monitor Tracker for Health, Fitness, Running, Sleep Cycles, GPS Fall Detection, Bluetooth, US Version, Silver
$379.99 Buy on Amazon As an affiliate, we earn a commission if you purchase through this linkBattery life: Up to 2 days The Samsung watches offer a lot more music storage than almost every other smartwatch has on this list. So, if you are willing to spend a premium and you are okay with either Spotify or DRM-free songs, this is the best smartwatch with onboard music storage that you can get. At this point, it’s also worth noting that as a Samsung Galaxy device, this smartwatch also pairs very well with Samsung’s ecosystem. SAMSUNG Galaxy Watch 3 (41mm, GPS, Bluetooth, Unlocked LTE) Smart Watch with Advanced Health Monitoring, Fitness Tracking, and Long lasting Battery - Mystic Silver (US Version)
$124.93 Buy on Amazon As an affiliate, we earn a commission if you purchase through this linkPros:
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If you want the latest Galaxy watch model, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 5 both store music internally, so you can play music when you’re offline. Another advantage over Samsung’s Galaxy 3 is that the Galaxy 4+ models include 16GB of internal storage. You can also store music from third-party apps like YouTube, Spotify, and many others on board for offline playback. And unlike the Galaxy 3, which limits offline music to Spotify Premium and its onboard music app, with the Galaxy 4+ watch, you can store music from any app that supports offline playback. The only downside is that Samsung’s Galaxy 4+ watch does not include speakers or an audio jack, so you need wireless headphones to listen to your music. Sale SAMSUNG Galaxy Watch , Bluetooth Smartwatch w/ Body, Health, Fitness and Sleep Tracker, Improved Battery, Sapphire Crystal Glass, Enhanced GPS Tracking, US Version, Pink Gold Bezel w/ Pink Band, 40mm
$239.00 Buy on Amazon As an affiliate, we earn a commission if you purchase through this linkBest Smartwatches with Onboard Music Storage: Wrapping UpThese are our top picks for now. To summarize:
Additional options include:Garmin Venu SQ Music is an affordable option with about 3.5GB of storage available for music. Although a paid subscription is required, you can download songs and playlists for offline listening from Spotify, Deezer, or Amazon Music accounts. Pick this smartwatch with music storage for about $250. Another great affordable option is the TicWatchPro 3, which includes 8GB of internal storage for your music, an onboard speaker, and is available for $250 – $299. The TicWatch Pro 3 also features the 4100 new Qualcomm processor and new bells and whistles, including robust health and fitness monitoring. This watch has an awesome battery life, anywhere from 3 days (smart mode) to 45 days (essential mode), depending on use and features. The Fitbit Versa 2 is a solid contender with 2.5 GB of available storage for folks who love Fitbit. You can store your own music via Fitbit’s Music app or download it offline from Pandora, Deezer, or Spotify (paid membership required.) If you have any questions or other recommendations, shoot a note using the comments. And if you liked this article, you can follow us on social media by using the social media buttons below so that you’ll never miss an article. We sometimes use affiliate links in our content from Amazon and others. It doesn’t cost you anything but helps us pay our expenses. Thank you for the support! Last update on 2022-12-26 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API George Kasiouras Ever since my early teenage days, I have long been passionate about all-things-tech and long-distance running. After graduating from high school and finishing my military duties, I immediately started working as a writer in 2016, and to this day, I still share my passion with everyone online. Is the Garmin Venu 2 better than Vivoactive 4?The Garmin Venu 2 also offers a much higher battery life of 11 days in smartwatch mode and 8 hours in GPS mode with music, compared to the Garmin Vivoactive 4's 8 days and 6 hours respectively.
Is Vivoactive or Venu better?In fact, the only true difference between these two smartwatches lies in the display and size. The Garmin Vivoactive 4 offers a basic transflective display and comes in a size of 45mm. On the other hand, the Garmin Venu offers a gorgeous AMOLED display and has a size of 43mm.
Is the Venu 2 the best Garmin?Despite all that, the Garmin Venu 2 still comes very highly recommended. It offers everything that we've loved about the Vivoactive and Venu series over the years in a package that's attractive, feature-packed and comfortable.
Is the Venu 2 worth it?If you're not tied to a specific phone ecosystem and want a tracker that will record almost anything you do that burns calories, the $449 Venu 2 Plus has a lot to offer. But given its overly complex interface and smartwatch functionality, most people are better off with an Apple Watch, Galaxy Watch or Fitbit.
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