How to Choose the Right Smartwatch Case for Your Device
How to choose the right smartwatch for you
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This story has been updated. It was originally published on December 30, 2019.
Choosing a smartwatch is like selecting a smartphone, in that there are countless models to choose from. But thats where the similarities end. While whatever handset you pick will be able to perform the same standard taskssuch as making calls, sending texts, and running appssmartwatches offer a variety of functions and features, which makes finding the right one even harder. Were here to dispel some of that confusion so you know how to choose the right smartwatch for your specific needs. From the different makes on the market to the blurring lines between fitness trackers and smartwatches, well outline the features you should be paying attention to before moving on to our picks for the best smartwatches and fitness wearables out there.
Let us help you choose the right smartwatch
For a smartwatch to be considered a smartwatch, it must be able to tell timethat much is a given. However, thats just about the only constant in a field where the choices of features and functions range far and wide.
Top-tier smartwatches from Apple, Samsung, and Fitbit are essentially miniature phones that wrap around your wrist. They run pint-size apps, let you control your smartphone remotely, and are capable of phone-like tasks such as tracking your run around a park, storing music, and even making phone calls through a tiny SIM.
On the next level down, youll find devices that are basically fitness trackers with a display. They focus on logging steps and other activities while treating smartwatch features as a bonus. These devices can tell time and sometimes show simple notifications from your phone. But interactions are limited, which means youll need to pull out your cell for most tasks. While they may not be as capable, they often cost much less.
Another category thats emerged is a traditional, mechanical watch with a few added smarts. These devices typically include features such as basic step counting and maybe a simple notification system, too. Youll get the style and price of a normal watch, with the bonus of a little bit of fitness tracking.
Whichever category you lean toward, check for a few key specs. The most important one is whether the watch works with your phone (iOS or Android), followed closely by how long the battery lasts (mechanical watches are still ages ahead here). Also, check that the watch has the features you want. For example, runners and sports enthusiasts might want to look for standalone GPS, which will let your wrist-based device track your location even when its not connected to your phone. Swimmers, on the other hand, should keep their eyes out for waterproof smartwatches.
Of course, form and comfort should also factor into your decision. If youre going to be wearing the watch a lot of the time, youll want to make sure its comfortable. If possible, visit a retail store and try a few smartwatches on for size, or check a selection of online reviews. Youll get an idea of the look of a device through pictures, and user reviews should help you find details about its feel and weight on the wrist.
Now that you know how to choose the right smartwatch, here are some of our top picks:
Apple Watch
Arguments continue, but the general consensus seems to be that the Apple Watch is the most advanced smartwatch you can buy right now. It interfaces seamlessly with the iPhone, offers a host of mini apps, and excels at health and fitness tracking.
You can use an Apple Watch to look up future calendar events, listen to music, regulate your breathing, send messages, and even chat with Siri. Itll also track your activities, push you toward your fitness goals, and even take an ECG anytime you want. Going further, it can act as a remote shutter for the camera on your connected iPhone, and you can even make and receive calls through iteither via your iPhone over Wi-Fi, or directly, if you opt for a more expensive LTE model.
The newest Apple Series 6 models start at $399 and come with built-in GPS, electrocardiogram (ECG) app, Blood Oxygen app, a heart rate monitor, and water resistance down to depths of 50 meters (164 feet). The new models come with an always-on display too, so you wont have to raise your wrist to see the time. The major downside is that these watches only work with iPhonesso if youve got an Android device or think you might want one in the future, the Apple Watch wont cut it.
Wear OS
Wear OS (previously Android Wear) smartwatches are essentially Googles alternative to the Apple Watch. Made by a number of manufacturing partners, like Fossil and TicWatch, they do most of what an Apple Watch does. However, theyre more flexiblenot only will they work with Android phones, but theyll also connect to an iPhone. This comes at a price though, and you wont get the same level of interactivity if linked to an Apple device. For example, you wont be able to reply to texts from your wrist with an iPhone like you can with an Android phone.
All the big smartwatch features are here, including viewing notifications and sending messages from your wrist, tracking your activities and fitness goals through Google Fit, listening to music, logging your location (for GPS-enabled devices), talking to Google Assistant, and more. Some models also include support for 4G LTE via a small SIM slot, which means youll be able to make and receive calls without a connected phone.
As with Android phones, youve got a broad choice of smartwatches to pick from. Prices typically fall somewhere below the Apple Watch levelthe Fossil Gen 5E LTE, one of the most expensive Wear OS flagships, retails for $349 at Fossils website. Just double-check the specs for features like a heart rate monitor and on-board GPS, as some Wear OS watches include these and some dont.
Samsung Tizen
Once in the Wear OS camp, Samsung has struck out on its own with its homemade Tizen operating system for smartwatches and various other devices. The company makes some of the best wearables in the business, with the advantage that they work just as well paired with either an Android or an iOS phone.
The Tizen smartwatch interface isnt quite as polished as those offered by Apple Watch or Wear OS, but in terms of features and functions, its just about on a par. You can track activities and health stats, view calendars, get notifications, cache songs to play on your morning jog, and even make calls with the SIM-enabled models. You will, however, miss out on a few native functions, like the Apple Watchs ability to reply to text messages from your wrist.
The latest offering from Samsung is the Galaxy Watch 3, which is available in two colors, and since its made of titanium, it promises military-grade durability. Theres a strong focus on health and fitness, too, and just as with the Apple Watch, youll be able to take ECGs and track your sleep and blood oxygen levels with the Galaxy Watch 3.
Fitbit wearables
Google purchased Fitbit in 2019, and since then the world has had an eye on the company to see how the acquisition affected the future of their smartwatches. We still havent seen the long-rumored Pixel Watch from Google with Wear OS on board, but Fitbit has kept on doing what they do best: launching compact, health-stat-oriented devices for people who dont necessarily want a mini-phone attached to their wrists.
Right now, Fitbits flagship smartwatch is the Fitbit Versa 3, which you can pick up for $200 from Amazon. Its great at tracking health and fitness activities, and unlike its predecessor, the Versa 3 now comes with built-in GPS to track your movements regardless of whether youre carrying your phone with you or not. All of Fitbits watches and fitness trackers work with both Android phones and iPhones, so its a good option for those who may switch between mobile platforms.
Fitbit has been in the wearables game for a long time, of course, and its mobile apps are some of the best for keeping tabs on steps, calories, and sleep. At the same time, theyre getting better at other functions, too, like smartphone notifications and smart assistants access.
Outdoor sports watches
If you take your running and hiking more seriously than most, a separate category of smartwatch exists just for you. No one has officially labeled it, but many refer to these devices as outdoor sports watches. Theyre bigger and more rugged than other designs and tend to focus on navigation and activity tracking rather than mini-apps or digital assistants. Take a look at some of the watches offered by Garmin or Casio to get an idea of what we mean.
These watches dont offer proper app platforms, like the Apple Watch or Wear OS do, but will show most notifications from your phone (like calls and calendar entries), and they have a host of other features to make up for what they lack. For example, the top-end Garmin Fenix 6x pro can measure your heart rate, track your steps, direct you home (or anywhere else) without a connected phone, and give you advanced performance metrics beyond the reach of most smartwatches.
Youll have to pay a premium for wearables in this category (the Fenix 6 starts at $449, though cheaper Garmin watches are available) because they offer the most detailed fitness tracking and most advanced integrated navigation to outdoor sports enthusiasts.
Related: Garmin Venu 2 review: An impressive fitness tracker that thrives outside the gym
Hybrid watches
As if you didnt already have enough options, we finally come to traditional mechanical watches with some extra smarts inside, often known as hybrid watches. If youre already used to a low-tech watch but like the idea of a little extra functionality, give one of these models a try.
Lots of traditional watchmakers are putting out devices in this category now. We like the $179 Withings Steel HR Sport or the $195 Fossil Hybrid HR. Both of these models can track your steps, monitor your heart rate, alert you to some phone notifications, and even get your phone to ring if youve misplaced it.
As you can see from the prices above, traditional-style watches tend to be cheaper than dedicated smartwatches. Another advantage is that, because they use standard watch batteries, they dont need to be recharged. For those with a foot in both the old and new watch camps, theyre an ideal option, and theyll happily work with both Android and iOS too.
The best smartwatch 2024: Top wearables for notifications, fitness tracking & more
The best smartwatches are excellent fitness gadgets. Theyre built to track your activity levels, record your workouts, and show you health and recovery insights. But they also do much more. The top smartwatches around today connect to your smartphone, delivering notifications, and even phone calls, to your wrist, as well as give you quick and easy access to a range of apps, like meditation apps, timers, weather insights, and so much more.
Whether you need a workout companion or simply want a stylish-looking watch with some extra features, a smartwatch is a great piece of tech to invest in, the good news is that these days theres a lot of choice even a sold selection of cheap smartwatches if youre on a budget.
We've tested and reviewed many smartwatches, including the most popular and high-end entries, like the latest Apple Watch models, including the Series 9 and Ultra 2, and Samsung smartwatches. We've also spent time with Fitbit's offerings and Wear OS watches from brands like Fossil, Ticwatch and Mobvoi, too, ensuring that there's something for everyone in our best smartwatches guide below.
Curated byCurated byMatt Evans
Fitness, Wellbeing and Wearables EditorMatt is TechRadar's Fitness and Wearables Editor, which means he's an expert on workouts, smartwatches, and all things fitness tech. Matt's spent years covering the health and fitness beat: a former staffer at Men's Health magazine, he's also written for publications like Runner's World, Women's Health, Men's Fitness, LiveScience and Fit&Well.
The quick list
The best watch overall
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is a dream smartwatch: next-level GPS accuracy, a sumptuous screen, gesture controls (you don't even have to touch it to operate the watch!), and all the usual stuff like taking and receiving calls on-wrist. Purely on specs alone, we rate it our top smartwatch.
Read more below
The best cheap Apple Watch
The second-generation Apple Watch SE does almost everything you could expect of a standard Apple Watch (excellent health and workout metrics, seamless iOS integration) with a few cost-cutting corners like nylon backing rather than stainless steel.
Read more below
3. Samsung Galaxy Watch 6
The best Samsung watch
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 is top of the list because it does everything you want an Android watch to do. It runs a version of Wear OS, it offers advanced health features such as ECG and blood pressure monitoring, it's reasonably priced and has a 30-hour battery life. Top choice for most Samsung users.
Read more below
The best Google watch
The Google Pixel Watch 2's attractive-looking pebble shape is simple and elegant in its edge-to-edge design. Google's excellent Wear OS and Fitbit integration is the icing on the cake, making it a great choice for Google Pixel phone users.
Read more below
The best Android watch
The Ticwatch Pro 5 got a big 4.5 stars from us thanks to its long battery life, excellent workout tracking capabilities and great GPS credentials. It'll see you right on long runs and rides, while still interfacing well with Android phones as a lifestyle companion.
Read more below
6. CMF Watch Pro by Nothing
The best cheap watch
This stripped-back smartwatch is compatible with both iOS and Android devices, and has all the basic functionalities of a smartwatch squared away. True, you lose screen quality, third-party apps and Bluetooth is occasionally unreliable, but it's astonishingly good value as-is.
Read more below
The best watch overall
The best smartwatch overall
Specifications
OS: watchOS 10
Compatibility: iOS
Display: 1.9" OLED
Processor: Apple S9
Onboard storage: 32GB
Battery: 36 hours
Charging method: Wireless
IP rating: Water-resistant to 100m
Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC, LTE, Ultra Wideband
Reasons to buy
+Large, bright display
+Action button is very useful
Reasons to avoid
-Battery life, while improved, could still be better
-Ultra Wideband only works with iPhone 15
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is the ultimate smartwatch with one of the best screens we've ever seen on a wearable, with its sumptuous Retina Display OLED commanding up to 3,000 nits of brightness. It's bigger and bulkier, than the standard Apple Watch, and has a faster S9 processor, enabling that excellent Double Tap gesture available on the Series 9 below. In all other respects, it's identical to its predecessor, the original Apple Watch Ultra.
It could still offer better battery life (despite surpassing the regular Apple Watch) but a powerful and accurate GPS is great for exploring, especially with watchOS 10's improved hiking waypoints feature, plus it's a working dive computer with the Oceanic Plus app.
During testing, we easily found this to be the most capable wearable that the brand has ever made. Unfortunately, it is limited by its reliance on Apple phones, and its high price. However, when looking at the smartwatches on this list in a vacuum, it is the best smartwatch from a technical standpoint. As you can see in the specs table below, it's got the biggest, brightest screen, it can dive the deepest underwater, and its case is comprised of ultra-hard titanium.
Read our full Apple Watch Ultra 2 review
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| Component | Apple Watch Ultra 2 | Apple Watch SE 2 (40mm) | Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 (40mm) | Google Pixel Watch 2 | Ticwatch Pro 5 | CMF Watch Pro by Nothing |
| Price | $799 / 799 / AU$1,399 | $249 / 259 / AU$399 | 299 / 289 / AU$549 | $349 / 349 / AU$549 | $349.99 / 329.99 / AU$519.99 | $69 / 69 / AU$131 |
| Dimensions | 49 x 41 x 14 (mm) | 40 x 34 x 10.7 (mm) | 38.8 x 40.4 x 9.0 (mm) | 41 x 41 x 12.3 (mm) | 50.1 x 48.0 x 12.2 (mm) | 46.9 x 39.87 x 12.89 (mm) |
| Weight | 61g | 27.8 grams (cellular) | 28.7g | 31g | 44.3g | 47g |
| Case/bezel | Titanium | Aluminum / nylon | Aluminum armor, graphite | Aluminum | 7000-series aluminum + high-strength nylon with fiberglass | Aluminium alloy |
| Display | 502 x 410 px poly-silicon always-on OLED Retina Display | 324 x 394 retina OLED display | 1.3-inch, 432 x 432 px super AMOLED | 384 x 384 px always-on AMOLED 320 ppi | 466 x 466 px, always-on OLED, Corning Gorilla Glass | 410 x 502 px, AMOLED |
| GPS | Yes (unspecified) | Yes (unspecified) | GPS, GLONASS, BEIDOU, Galileo | GPS | GPS, Beidou, Glonass, Galileo, QZSS | GPS/GLONASS/Galileo/QZSS/Beidou |
| Battery life | 36 hours | 18 hours | Up to 40 hours | 24 hours | 80 hours | Up to 13 days |
| Connection | Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi, LTE | Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi, LTE | Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi, LTE | Bluetooth 5.0, WiFi, 4G LTE | Bluetooth 5.2 | Bluetooth 5.3 |
| Water resistant | WR100 (diveproof) | WR50 | 5ATM+IP68 | 5ATM | 5ATM | IP68 |
The best cheap Apple Watch
The best Apple Watch for iPhone users on a budget
Specifications
OS: watchOS 10
Compatibility: iOS
Display: 1.78" width="50" OLED
Processor: Apple S8
Onboard storage: 32GB
Battery: 18 hours
Charging method: Wireless
IP rating: Water-resistant to 50m
Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC, LTE
Reasons to buy
+Light and comfortable
+Good battery life for price
+Packs updated features compared to older cheap Apple Watches
Reasons to avoid
-No always-on screen or ECG compared to higher-priced watches
-Nylon back
The Apple Watch SE 2 is arguably the best Apple Watch for most people, as its a lot more affordable than the Apple Watch Series 9, yet has most of the core features for those models, and even the same chipset as the Series 8.
The main things it lacks are an always-on display, an ECG, and blood oxygen tracking from the 8 (although the current Apple Watch Series 9 is now being sold without blood oxygen tracking), and the Double Tap feature from the 9, but the Apple Watch SE 2 still has a wide range of health and fitness features, plus potentially life-saving additions like Car Crash Detection.
Its also powerful, has impressive battery life for a proper smartwatch, and is very light and comfortable to wear. So it strikes a superb balance between price and performance, and is a great relatively affordable pick.
Read our full Apple Watch SE 2 review
The best Samsung watch
The best Samsung smartwatch overall
Specifications
OS: Wear OS (One UI Watch 5)
Compatibility: Android
Display: 1.4-inch 480 x 480 px Super AMOLED
Processor: Exynos W930
Onboard storage: 16GB
Battery duration: One day
Charging method: Qi wireless charging
IP rating: IP68
Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS
Reasons to buy
+Powerful fitness features
+Durable and lightweight
Reasons to avoid
-One-day battery life
-Optimized for Samsung phones
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 is a smart-looking watch in every sense of the word. It looks great on your wrist while offering powerful features. A larger Super AMOLED display is sharp and clear, as well as able to handle very bright outdoor scenes.
Performance-wise, it's fast although you'll reap the most benefits when paired with a Samsung smartphone. There's no iPhone support here either.
Besides SmartThings integration, the highlights here is the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6's updated chipset, the Exynos W930, and the ability to monitor your body's muscle and fat composition. It's bordering on the ultimate fitness tool with extensive sleep tracking also helping you get the most from yourself every day. Shame about that one-day battery life, though.
Read our full Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 review
The best Google watch
The best Google smartwatch for Pixel users
Specifications
OS: Wear OS 4
Compatibility: Android 8.0 or higher
Display: 1.2" OLED
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon W5
Onboard storage: 32GB
Battery: 24 hours
Charging method: Wireless
IP rating: Water-resistant to 5 ATM
Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC, LTE
Reasons to buy
+Elegant, classic watch-like looks
+Brilliant screen
+New multi-path HR sensor
Reasons to avoid
-One (small) size fits all
-Band switch system takes practice
-No blood oxygen sensing - yet
The Google Pixel Watch 2, like its predecessor, is an uncommonly beautiful smartwatch. It has a natural rather than a manufactured look, with a glossy face that curves to meet an equally curvaceous body. The construction is close to seamless.
Because of that curve, there's more glass facing you than on theApple Watch Series 9, which both adds to the elegance and cunningly hides a larger-ish black bezel surrounding the screen. The battery life is slightly improved compared to the original, getting fast charge, while a new multi-path HR sensor improves workout tracking.
This is a bright, colorful, and responsive AMOLED display, considerably smaller than the Apple Watch Series 9's rectangular face, but Google does a lot with the reduced screen real estate. We never found ourselves wishing for more, except for the battery life. Although it's an improvement over the original Pixel and most Apple offerings, it's still a continual frustration at 24 hours: less than the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6, and a bugbear we have with many watches on this list compared to, say, a Garmin.
Read our full Google Pixel Watch 2 review
The best Android smartwatch
The best Wear OS smartwatch not made by Google
Specifications
Compatibility: Android, iOS
Display: 466 x 466 px, always-on OLED
Processor: Snapdragon W5+ Gen1
Onboard storage: 32GB
Battery duration: Up to 80 hours
Charging method: Magnetic connecting pin
IP rating: 5ATM
Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.2
Reasons to buy
+Big battery
+Powerful
+Accurate fitness metrics
The TicWatch Pro 5 is an excellent all-rounder and an outstanding Pixel Watch alternative.
It has a lot going for it. For one thing, it uses the mighty Snapdragon W5+ Gen1 processor, so performance is good in our tests. It also offers up to 80 hours of battery life, and very accurate fitness tracking metrics. Looks great on-wrist, too. Never mind the Pixel Watch, this beast could give the Samsung Galaxy 5 Pro a run for its money. With 7000-series aluminum + high-strength nylon with fiberglass, it's safe on the most rugged of trails.
The TicWatch Pro 5 is a little pricey, and doesn't come with an LTE option, a real kicker at this price point. But if you can get past that, it'll be a doughty workout companion.
Read the full TicWatch Pro 5 review
The best cheap smartwatch
The best cheap system-agnostic smartwatch
Specifications
OS: Nothing
Compatibility: iOS 13 and above, Android 8.0 and above
Display: 1.96-inch 410 x 502 AMOLED
Processor: Snapdragon Wear 4100
Onboard storage: 8GB
Battery duration: 13 days
Charging method: Qi wireless charging
IP rating: IP68
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.3, GPS
Reasons to buy
+Large display
+Great battery life
+Very affordable
Reasons to avoid
-Some small connectivity issues
-Overly simplistic
The CMF Watch Pro by Nothing is a very cheap, very attractive smartwatch that offers a lot for the money. It's got in-built GPS, up to 13 days of battery life, and in our review we mentioned the design was great, both in software and hardware. If you want a simplified smartwatch with a few health metrics, this is the one to get.
The downsides? With that low price point, of course, comes some missing features. It's never going to be as stacked with third-party apps or as versatile as an Apple or Samsung Galaxy watch, and you have to go through the rigmarole of manually adding contacts before calling them on the watch. The OS is pretty minimal, as one might expect from Nothing.
However, if you're looking for a cheap do-it-all watch that still looks attractive, you could certainly do a lot worse. The CMF Watch Pro is well-built, attractive and simple to use, and will certainly pick up a cult following.
Read our full CMF Watch Pro by Nothing review
How to choose the best smartwatch for you
Unfortunately, your choice of smartwatch often depends on your choice of phone, as not all wearables are compatible with competitor devices. Apple Watch only works with Apple iPhones. Samsung and Google watches, and other Wear OS devices, only work with Android devices, but you can use a Samsung watch with a Google phone and vice versa.
Fitness tracking wearables from Fitbit will work with any device and synchronize with the Fitbit app, but those devices tend to focus more sharply on fitness features, and don't offer all of the robust apps and services you'll find on other smartwatches.
Most wearables will get about a day of battery life, which will be disappointing if you're converting from a Garmin watch that lasts weeks. You can find a few watches that last longer on this list.
Finally, smartwatches can be expensive, and frankly they don't offer much value for what you pay. Before you spring for an Apple Watch Ultra, you might ask if you are really going Scuba diving this year, or if you're just going to check your text messages without disturbing your dinner mates.
Can you use Apple Watch with an Android phone?
The first thing to check is whether your phone is compatible with the smartwatch you want. You can't use an Apple Watch with an Android phone, as all the functions of watchOS require iOS to interface with.
You can use a Fitbit or Google Pixel Watch with an iPhone, but without Android or Google accounts, your experience will be sorely diminished. Samsung and Huawei also require handset-watch synergy to operate at their best.
However, many devices like Garmin watches and the CMF Watch Pro by Nothing require nothing more than their own apps to work, meaning you can use them with either handset just fine.
Which is the best smartwatch?
The best smartwatch changes all the time, but typically you'll find an Apple Watch or Samsung Galaxy smartwatch topping the list, as these tend to be packed full of high-end features and polish.
How we test smartwatches
Every smartwatch on this list has been fully and extensively reviewed by the expert team at TechRadar, so we know exactly what makes them tick.
Our review process involves using the devices as if they were our own personal wearables, ensuring every smartwatch gets fully tested in the real world. A comprehensive sweep of features takes place, and usage is varied over multiple days to give us a clear idea of how battery life performs.
Using that knowledge we've then ranked them, while also factoring in their price, performance, value, and core specs.
Latest updates
19 April: Updated FAQs.
