As the world awaits the official launch of the Apple Watch, smartwatches from different manufacturers continue to pop up. Most smartwatches offer the basic functions of a smartphone, such as sending and receiving text messages, making and receiving calls, app notifications, reminders, music control and even fitness tracking. The problem is the price.

Most smartwatches cost upwards of $200, like the Moto 360, which starts at $249.99, the LG G, which starts at $229.99, and the Apple Watch, which start at $349. If you’re on a tight budget, getting a smartwatch is not an option. And, a steep price for a device that can’t replace all the functions of a similarly priced smartphone.

Good thing not all smartwatches will leave you broke and penniless. In fact, there are some great options for under $200, starting with the newly debuted Pebble Time.

Pebble Time

Pebble Technology Corp. has been in the smartwatch business for years now, and it is one of the earliest to deliver a smartphone-compatible smartwatch. It recently announced Pebble Time, an upgraded version of its popular e-paper smartwatch that now features a colored screen. Unlike most smartwatches of today, though the display is now in color, it still uses e-paper technology to keep the cost down, as well as allow the display to be visible in broad daylight and still last up to seven days on a single charge.

Aside from the colored e-paper screen, it now features a microphone so you can create voice notes; is 20 percent thinner than the original Pebble watch; has a quick release mechanism to quickly change straps; comes in black, white and red; and features a new timeline that delivers notifications in chronological order. It still features tactile buttons for easy navigation, offers compatibility with thousands of apps to get things done faster, and works with iOS 8 on iPhone 4S or higher and Android 4.0 or higher.

You can get the Pebble Time for only $179 if you back it on Kickstarter; expect to get the device by May 2015. Or wait for the general release, but the price of Pebble Time will increase to $199.

Alcatel OneTouch Watch

Alcatel-Lucent is probably far from your mind when considering what smartwatch brand to purchase. But at CES 2015, the company unveiled the Alcatel OneTouch Watch, which will be available in March for $149. The OneTouch Watch is quite cheap compared to other smartwatches. It features a 240 x 204 resolution, 1.22-inch display, has a single button that serves as the power/lock key, and a strap that doubles as the device’s charging cable.

It runs on its own OS and works with iOS 7 or higher, as well as Android 4.3 or higher. The device features a 210mAh battery that is said to last up to three days on a single charge; a heart rate sensor; and a handful of native apps for fitness, compass, weather, music remote, find my phone, alarm and camera remote. Plus, you can change the watch face as you please.

What it doesn’t do though, is respond to text messages or emails, but you do get notifications for those so you can decide whether you need to pull out your smartphone and reply.

Samsung Gear Live

Samsung Gear Live

The Samsung Gear Live is just one of the smartwatches released by Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. last year. It comes at a reasonable price of $199.99, considering its specifications. It features a 1.63” Super AMOLED display with 320×320 resolution, mic, accelerometer, gyroscope, compass, heart rate monitor, Bluetooth 4.0 LE, 512MB RAM, 4GB internal storage and 300mAh battery.

It runs Android Wear, is compatible with devices running Android 4.3 or higher, and has an IP67 water and dust-resistant rating, making it water and dust-proof. The display on the device is always on so you can see notifications at a glance anytime, and a simple touch of the display wakes up the screen so you can do more.

ASUS ZenWatch

The ASUS ZenWatch was released in the latter part of 2014. It is one of the smartwatches that looks classy and stylish. It features a 1.63” AMOLED display with 320×320 resolution, runs Android Wear and has 512MB RAM. Other features include a 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, 4GB eMMC flash, 9 Axis Sensor/Bio sensor, Bluetooth 4.0 LE, mic, Polymer 1.4Wh battery, curved Corning Gorilla Glass 3 and IP55 rating for water resistance.

The device has smart features, such as Presentation Control, Find My Phone, Watch Unlock to securely unlock your smartphone with the watch, a covering the watch mute function and voice command for replying to text messages and emails. Notifications from smartphones are shown on the watch’s screen, and it even serves as a health tracker, providing you with relaxation techniques to help you get through the day more calmly. The ASUS ZenWatch is $200 or more, depending on where you purchase it.

Withings Activité Pop

The Withings Activité Pop is not a smartwatch in the sense that it delivers notifications from your smartphone to your wrist; it is more of a fitness tracker. But since it delivers more than just telling the time, you can still consider it a smartwatch. It tracks activity levels during walking, running and swimming, and it even tracks your sleep and has a silent vibrate feature that gently nudges you to wake up.

The watch features an analog feedback loop that tells you the percentage of your goal achieved, has Bluetooth 4.0 LE that allows data gathered by the watch to be available on the smartphone for analysis and integrates with the Withings HealthMate app so you can challenge your friends to a healthy fitness competition. It currently is only compatible with iOS devices, and it comes with a battery that lasts up to eight months, so no need to recharge it every few days or so. The Withings Activité Pop is priced at $149.95.

Image source: Pebble Technology Corp. Janitors via photopin cc