Which smartwatch shape is better
Round v square faced smartwatches: We ask the experts which is best
The world collectively cooed as the Moto 360 showed how the best smartwatches could be. It had a leather strap, it measured your heartbeat and, most awe-inspiring of all, it was round.
It was a watch with an entirely round face just like all those other watches throughout history that also have round faces. Suddenly we had a smartwatch that we just might be able to wear without feeling like too much of a penis. And then Apple made a square one.
Apple sells much of its kit on simply being cool. There's no point in trying to analyse it Apple has bags of X-factor through both brand and design, but surely should have gone round with the Apple Watch?
So was our collective gut reaction to the Moto 360 incorrect? Or does Apple know something more? Wareable decided to speak to smartwatch experts to finally settle the score of round vs square.
Round v Square: Design
"In my experience, round-faced watches sell better than square-faced watches. I don't know exactly why that is." So says Bradley Price; senior industrial designer in the consumer electronics industry for over 10 years and owner of driving-orientated wristwatch brand Autodromo.
"It's most likely purely psychological; people's semantic notion of what a clock or a watch should look like. When you were a little kid, learning to tell time, they put this clock in front of you and it imprints itself and it's hard to get away from that even when you're an adult. So, square watches are more unusual or a design product in the case of Apple Watch. I think Motorola probably wanted to make it more familiar. But I think they also wanted to show that they could make a round LCD screen.
Head-to-head: LG Watch Urbane vs Apple Watch
"From a practical standpoint, it's easier to do a square screen but, in the case of Apple, they will have made it square because they wanted to make it square. It brings it into a more consumer electronics-form vocabulary and away from a watch-form vocabulary. What's interesting with the Apple Watch is that they definitely made an Apple device first and foremost - a consumer electronics device. For me, it's not really a watch. It's a CE device that has watch-like characteristics.
"The Moto 360, on the other hand, is more a CE device masquerading as a watch. They wanted to make it a magical watch; at first glance an ordinary one but an unexpected delight when it's got a touchscreen and pictures and everything."
Verdict: Square is design-led and tech, round is familiar
Round v Square: User-experience
"UX-wise, I don't think it matters because the screens are just so small anyway," sums up Kate Tarling - product designer on Peek, the award-winning, smartphone-based eye examination kit for the developing world - before we've even begun.
"The way mobile phones are designed is for us to hold them in one hand. Then what really makes a difference is the proximity of buttons and controls that we're pressing and how easy they are for your thumbs to reach in one-holded used; and that doesn't matter so much with a watch because you're not having to hold it at all.
Essential reading: Best Android smartwatch
"Instead, you've got this really tiny screen you're now designing for. So, when you're thinking about this tiny UI with buttons and controls, designers have to think about the metaphor of space by pulling things in from off the screen one way or the other. That's a neat solution from a design perspective but, for the user, none of that's intuitive. So, it means having to learn and remember where everything is.
"Making something round; if you're thinking about reading a book or some text, then you've got the problem that text will disappear off the screen more easily on a round face. But then you've got to think about how people are using a watch and it's not a replacement for your phone, so shape shouldn't be so important."
Verdict: No difference
Round v Square: Display technology
So, it's all the same as far as user-functionality goes but how about in terms of the screen itself? Does it make a difference to how easy it is to interact with? Does shape matter for how reliable a touchscreen is or, perhaps more importantly for the company involved, what are the implications on cost and mass production?
If there's one man who'll have the answer to this, it's Mark Jones, founder and chief Giant iTab. On top of a career in specialist screen supply, he now provides to order just about any size and shape of touch display that his clients require. Are some harder to make than others, then?
"When it comes to wearable technology, you have to consider both the aesthetics and ergonomics. It needs to be comfortable to wear and maybe a 16:9 display on your wrist just isn't going to look right. Once you go out of a 16:9 domain, though, it doesn't really matter if it's square or round. The cost goes up anyway by about three or four times. In fact, round is not actually any harder. Most screen manufacturers are used to making rounded corners now."
So, technically, there's no difference and it's just as expensive in either shape; but it seems that one way is just a shade pricier than the other.
"There's obviously more wastage of cutting round shapes out of squared sheets," concedes Jones, "but you'd factor that into the price of production. The more important consideration, as far as the screen goes, is that you create a digital portal that the content will go into and be automatically reconfigured to fit the shape on the device that you have. Get that right and whether it's round, square or triangular or whatever won't matter."
Verdict: No difference
Round v Square: App design
"A square face is obviously simpler, but round screens are pretty similar," says Shem Magnezi, lead Android developer at MyRoll, brushing aside our ideas that developing content for different shaped screens might be an issue for these two burgeoning app communities.
"The most important thing in your screen should be big and in the centre. That way it works for both of the faces," and it's certainly in line with UX-expert Kate Tarling's theories on things. Don't try to cram content into a small space. Accept that a smartwatch screen is tiny and keep it functional from there on in.
"Square is simpler in a sense of building your layout," continues Magnezi. "Round faces usually just look better in my opinion - background images, for example, play nicer when they're cropped in the corners."
And what of the many faces of Android Wear then? Is it harder to develop for a platform where you're never quite sure what device the user has on their wrist?
"Google did a nice job here, the layout adapts your view to the right shape and that's it. If you developed for Android phones before, where there's much more variety of screens sizes, resolution and shapes, this shouldn't be an issue here."
Verdict: No difference
Round v Square: Popularity
Last of all, it needs to be remembered that these watches, although smart, are still watches and it's well worth looking at the market trends for some advice. The wrist-worn horology business has been at full tilt for well over 100 years and any tech company intending on getting into it needs to have done its homework. According to the Ruth Faulkner, the editor or Retail Jeweller, this is what they should have figured out.
"Round watches are much more popular and probably make up 80 per cent of the watches on sale. I'd say women's watches are more often square than men's, for example the popular Cartier Tank and Longines classic watches.
"Square can look old fashioned but the Apple Watch is oblong and it looks great. I think it's a fantastic design and has a timeless elegance to it with a expensive twist."
Verdict: Square less popular but also more feminine.
Round or square: Verdict
What's surprising, for us, is how little a difference face shape of a smartwatch actually seems to make to most of the technical and practical areas one might expect. It's no harder to make apps for, production costs are equally expensive at any serious volume, a touchscreen is just as sensitive and the challenge from a usability angle is one over size and not to do with shape in any way. In fact, when it comes down to it, it's really about aesthetics and what the chosen design does for us on that all-important emotional level.
Apple's bet is to both attract a female audience while also creating something design-led to make you 'think different'. What's more, it also inherently lets you know that it's got a technical side with its shape suggestive of a consumer electronics device.
For Motorola, LG and Samsung, round is trying to be a watch first and something connected later. They want you to be able to fit in, and then show. Who's right? Well, given that wearables are really about form over function for the time being, one's gut would be to go with round. But bet against Apple at your peril.
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
Swipe to scroll horizontally
| 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.
What should I look for when buying a smartwatch?
The first thing to check is whether your phone is compatible with it - you can't use an Apple Watch with an Android phone, and you can't use a Google Pixel Watch with an iPhone. Beyond that, consider the battery life and the features - how often will you be happy charging it, and what do you really need out of your watch? A simpler watch can be a better pick.
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
08 March: Reduced the number of entries and reformatted this buying guide.
