How to Choose the Right Smartwatch

Every Apple Watch is an extension of your iPhone that delivers notifications, makes calls, sends messages, and shows you a variety of information depending on the widgets you choose. Each model, however, comes with (or without) various features, and their price tags reflect it. The best Apple Watch for you will fit your needs, whether it’s health monitoring tools or an always-on display.

We’ve been wearing the Apple Watch Series 10 since its launch in September 2024, and it’s our top pick as the best Apple Watch for most people in 2025. In addition to several new features, it sports a slim redesign, larger size options, and the fastest charging on an Apple Watch.

The second-generation Apple Watch SE is a more affordable and basic version of the Series 10 that doesn’t include an always-on display or an ECG sensor, though it’s a fantastic smartwatch for the price.

Our top picks for the best Apple Watch

Best overall: Apple Watch Series 10 – See at Amazon

Best budget: Apple Watch SE (2022) – See at Amazon

Best for fitness and outdoors: Apple Watch Ultra 2 – See at Amazon

Best overall

The Apple Watch Series 10 is the best smartwatch for most iPhone owners. Like the Series 9, its predecessor and our previous pick for the best overall Apple Watch, the Series 10 continues to offer best-in-class smartwatch functionality, fitness and health tracking capability, and value.

It delivers the familiar Apple Watch experience for notifications, monitoring health metrics, and tracking fitness. As the newest Apple Watch, the Series 10 has the latest tech, including the latest S10 processor. It supports all of the new features in the watchOS 11 operating system, like Vitals, which summarizes your daily health based on several metrics. There’s also Training Load, which helps you decide a coming workout’s duration and intensity or when you should take it easy.

Yes, you can get most of the same watchOS 11 features in the cheaper Apple Watch SE. However, the Series 10’s new slimmer and lighter design, larger display options, new sleep apnea monitoring, and always-on display offer more value over the budget-minded SE model. Swimmers will also appreciate the Series 10’s new depth and water temperature sensing.

A new wide-angle OLED display also enhances the always-on function by including the seconds hand when your wrist is down and while the display is dimmed, so you can see the seconds even with a glance (depending on the Apple Watch face, the second hand could be a number or animation). Getting the time from a quick glance when the screen is dimmed is also improved, as the watch face is slightly brighter when looking at the watch from an angle.

The 46mm Series 10 model actually has more display space than the 49mm Ultra 2 — the “mm” designation is related to the watch’s overall size, including bezels. For checking the time, notifications, and overall readability of anything on the screen, the Series 10 is the best in Apple’s lineup.

The Series 10 is available in a new Jet Black polished (shiny) aluminum casing compared to the usual matte-textured black aluminum. Apple has also replaced the Series line’s polished stainless steel options with titanium, available in natural and gold color options.

The Series 10 running on watchOS 11 includes recent Apple Watch upgrades carried over from the Series 9, like the useful Smart Stack customizable widgets group, on-device Siri access, and double tap gestures for answering a call or starting and stopping a timer with a quick, firm double pinching motion. It also carries forward a super-bright 2,000-nit display with a 1-nit minimum brightness, updated workout feedback and mental health tools, and the second-generation Ultra Wideband chip for greater GPS accuracy.

Read our full Apple Watch Series 10 review.

Best budget

The second-generation Apple Watch SE is surprisingly affordable for such a feature-packed smartwatch and is, by far, the best Apple Watch for those on a budget. It’s nearly as capable as the Series 10 and Ultra 2 for tracking fitness, sleep, checking notifications, taking calls, and ensuring you’re OK with health and safety features like Crash Detection, Fall Detection, heart rate monitoring, sleep tracking, and more.

But the Apple Watch SE is nearly three years old, running the older S8 chipset introduced in 2022. The Apple Watch SE is notably missing an always-on display, which could be a dealbreaker for whether you go for the SE or pay more for the higher-end watches.

Compared to the Series 10, it doesn’t support the double tap gesture or sleep apnea monitoring, and it has more basic GPS accuracy, even if it’s still quite accurate. The SE also doesn’t feature an electrocardiogram sensor for ECG readings or skin-temperature sensors for advanced period tracking and additional sleep-tracking measurements. 

Still, for first-time buyers, the SE will make you wonder how you ever lived without one. It’s incredibly convenient to get notifications, send texts, make calls, and customize the Apple Watch face with all the widgets and information you find useful — and it does all this without you needing to pull out your phone.

At least, opting for the SE lets you get a better idea of the Apple Watch’s baseline features starting at $249. From there, you can consider if features like always-on display and the latest health sensors are worth the upgrade. If not, then the second-gen SE is your best option.

Read our full Apple Watch SE (2022) review.

Best for fitness and outdoors

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is in its second year since its unveiling in 2023. It shares some features that debuted on the Series 9, such as the double tap gesture, the S9 processor, and on-device Siri access.

Much of the rest of the Ultra 2 is rolled over from the original Ultra model, including its overall design, which features a corrosion-resistant titanium casing and a 49mm screen. With the launch of the Apple Watch Series 10, Apple added a Black Titanium frame option to complement Ultra 2’s existing titanium options.

While it may not be new, it’s still a highly robust Apple Watch with features designed for its intended users — fitness and outdoors buffs — like the brightest screen of any Apple Watch for improved visibility in bright light conditions, a long-lasting battery, an upgraded altitude range, and water sports features for scuba diving and freediving.

Battery life is the highlight of the Ultra 2, as it can last upward of three days on a single charge, roughly double what we’ve gotten out of the Series 10. The exact amount of battery life depends on how often the GPS is used and whether the always-on display is enabled, but the difference in the frequency of charging the Ultra 2 compared to the Series 10 is apparent.

One of the best features unique to Ultra watches is the Action Button. It can start and stop workouts or be programmed to sync with various shortcuts. In concept, it’s similar to the iPhone’s Action Button found across the best iPhones on the higher end.

The sum of these parts may not be enough to sway the casual user into spending $799 on the watch, but it remains a highly worthwhile tool for avid outdoor enthusiasts and serious athletes. When paired with the right band (among the best Apple Watch Ultra 2 bands), it becomes a luxurious-looking watch for a night out.

Read our full Apple Watch Ultra 2 review.

Older Apple Watch models that offer subpar value

Though it’s possible to find refurbished and inexpensive versions of Apple Watch models before the Apple Watch Series 6, we wouldn’t recommend any earlier models as they no longer support the latest version of the Apple Watch operating system, watchOS 11. 

Buying an older refurbished Apple Watch could be more of a hassle than it’s worth. Older models have shorter support windows than newer and current models, so you’d have to buy another Apple Watch sooner than you might want to if you want to keep up with security and watchOS updates.

What to look for in an Apple Watch

There are many reasons to buy one of the best Apple Watches; understanding them can help you know what to look for. Each Apple Watch is also among the best fitness trackers you can buy and offers unique health monitoring tools that can positively impact your wellness.

For health and fitness tracking, you’ll want to review which model offers what sensors. The latest Apple Watch models include a heart rate monitor, the newest gyroscope, accurate GPS tracking, and a high-g accelerometer that powers Apple’s Crash Detection feature.

For day-to-day tasks, you’ll more or less get the same experience thanks to each watch supporting the latest watchOS software. But if you want an always-on display, which we think could make or break a decision, you should consider the Series 10 as your best Apple Watch. Likewise, if you want the best battery life, there’s the Ultra 2.

After that, it’s deciding whether you want the smaller or larger models of a specific Apple Watch series. It’s mostly down to personal preference and your comfort levels, and it makes no difference to battery life. Larger screens make it easier to read and control with on-screen items, but smaller models are still large enough to offer a good experience.

How we test Apple Watches

We can assess the best Apple Watch in a relatively short time thanks to our extensive personal experience with the wearables, as we’ve reviewed them professionally through the generations.

The best way to test these wearables is to wear and use them daily with an iPhone as if they were our own for at least a week, often longer. We focus on ease of use, performance, usefulness, features and sensors, battery life, and how their price relates to the overall experience.

During testing, we assess all these aspects during various activities, like a workout, running errands, lounging, sleeping, and traveling (when possible). We actively test notifications, calls, messages, settings and options, and customization, and we note where an Apple Watch excels or lacks.

We don’t perform tests that could damage our review unit or ourselves (Crash Detection). At the same time, we don’t take special care of our Apple Watch review units and subject them to typical wear and tear from normal usage.

We also examine how the new models compare to older models and explain the benefits of upgrading from various older models. Looking at the specific model changes and upgrades year over year helps inform our testing and selection of the best overall models.

FAQs

What is the difference between GPS and GPS + Cellular Apple Watch models?

A GPS-only Apple Watch model is cheaper than cellular models and lets you carry out tasks like receiving text messages, answering phone calls, and receiving notifications when it’s connected and close to your iPhone via Bluetooth or WiFi.

A GPS + Cellular model offers increased connectivity with the addition of built-in cellular service. That means you can receive text messages, answer calls, and stream music, even if you don’t have your iPhone with you. You just need to add the watch to your current carrier plan. Most carriers charge around $10/month for a watch-compatible cellular plan, though some of the best cell phone plans include connected device service.

Does the Apple Watch use data?

Only the GPS + Cellular Apple Watch models with a separate data plan use data from your carrier if you don’t have your iPhone nearby. Otherwise, Apple Watches are simply extensions of your iPhone that don’t use additional cellular data.

Do Apple Watches work with Android?

The short answer is no. An Apple Watch will not pair seamlessly with an Android phone. Even if you get a GPS + Cellular model that doesn’t rely on an iPhone connection, an iPhone is required for setup and app downloads.

Android users should instead consider purchasing one of the best Android smartwatches to use something 100% compatible with any of the best Android phones.

Is the Apple Watch waterproof?

No Apple Watch is “waterproof,” but models have varying degrees of water resistance, which means they can sustain splashes and submersion down to a certain depth. The second-gen SE, Series 9, and Series 10 can go down as far as 50 meters, or around 164 feet. The Ultra 2 supports depths of 100 meters (328 feet) and 40 meters (131 feet) for recreational dives.

Are the Apple Watch Series 9 and 8 outdated? 

No, not at all. Although Apple no longer sells the Series 8 and Series 9 (you may still find them refurbished on the Apple Store or new via third-party retailers), that doesn’t mean they’re no longer supported. In fact, Apple has a stellar reputation for supporting its products for years past their debut.

The Series 8 and 9 are compatible with the latest operating system, watchOS 11, so many of the software features debuted on the latest models will also be available on the Series 8 once it upgrades to watchOS 11 (support for watchOS 11 goes back to the Series 6). A notable exception is Apple’s new sleep apnea detection feature, which is only available on the Series 9 and later devices. 

How often should I upgrade my Apple Watch? 

The decision to upgrade to a newer Apple Watch depends on several factors. First, is there a new feature native to one of the newer models you’d like to use? For instance, the double tap gesture feature that debuted on the Series 9 and Ultra 2 can only be used on those and later models. 

You may also consider upgrading if your watch isn’t compatible with the latest operating system. Regarding the latest watchOS 11, any Series 6 or newer model is compatible. 

Another reason you may want to upgrade is if you’d like to move from the Series line to the Ultra line. In this scenario, even Series 9 users may consider upgrading to the Ultra 2 to take advantage of its unique features, like its longer battery life, the useful Action Button, and the bigger design.