A great watch does more than tell time—it can enhance your style and make you feel good. The best smartwatches can do even more. They connect to your smartphone, send notifications, and let you make phone calls from your wrist. You can also use apps for things like meditation, timers, weather updates, and more.
- Best for iPhone Owners: Apple Watch Series 9
The Apple Watch Series 9 is the best choice for iPhone users. It runs on WatchOS and has many apps to keep you from having to pull out your phone. The Series 9 is almost the same as the Series 8 but can process Siri requests on the watch, making it faster and more private (unless Siri needs to search the web).
With the new S9 chip, it’s more efficient and has slightly better battery life, though you still need to recharge it regularly. The coolest new feature is Double Tap, which lets you tap two fingers together to accept or reject calls, reply to messages, start or end timers, and more.
- Best for Samsung Owners: Samsung Galaxy Watch 6
The Samsung Galaxy Watch6 and Watch6 Classic are great for Samsung users. They do everything you want an Android watch to do. They run on Wear OS and have advanced health features like ECG and blood pressure monitoring. They are reasonably priced and have a 30-hour battery life, making them an excellent choice for Samsung users.
- Best for Android Owners: Google Pixel Watch 2
The Google Pixel Watch 2 is perfect for Android users. Its sleek, pebble-shaped design looks great. It runs on Google’s Wear OS and works well with Fitbit, making it a top pick for Google Pixel phone users. New features include Safety Check, which shares your location with emergency contacts if you don’t respond, and a Body Response feature that detects stress and offers ways to cope, like guided breathing sessions.
- Great Battery Life: OnePlus Watch 2
The OnePlus Watch 2 is ideal for Android users looking for a smartwatch with great battery life. It can last about three days on a single charge or longer with power-saving settings. This watch has two chipsets and two operating systems to achieve its long battery life. The user experience is similar to the Galaxy Watch6 or Pixel Watch 2, but with a focus on health and fitness features by OnePlus. Note that it’s a large watch, so it might not be suitable for small wrists.
- Best Cheap Watch: CMF Watch Pro by Nothing
The CMF Watch Pro by Nothing is a stripped-back smartwatch compatible with both iOS and Android devices. It has all the basic functionalities of a smartwatch, including notifications and basic fitness tracking. While it lacks high screen quality, third-party apps, and reliable Bluetooth at times, it offers astonishingly good value for its price.