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Best smartwatch overall: Apple Watch Series 9
Best Android smartwatch: Samsung Galaxy Watch 6
Best budget smartwatch: Apple Watch SE
Choosing a smartwatch has become more complex with the variety of options available. iPhone users have three distinct Apple Watch models to consider, while Android users have a wide range of choices from traditional designs to fitness-oriented trackers. With so many options, it can be overwhelming to know where to start.
Fortunately, we continually test the latest smartwatches from industry leaders like Apple, Samsung, Google, and others to help you make an informed decision. Whether you're an iPhone user or an Android enthusiast, whether you prioritize outdoor activities or affordability, we're here to guide you in finding the perfect smartwatch to suit your needs.
Best smartwatch overall
For those considering an upgrade from an Apple Watch Series 6 or earlier models, or for first-time smartwatch buyers, the Series 9 stands out as the top choice due to its exceptional performance and comprehensive feature lineup.
Best Android smartwatch
For Android users, the Galaxy Watch 6 from Samsung emerges as the premier smartwatch choice, boasting a variety of large, vibrant display options and an array of valuable features for monitoring health and fitness.
Best budget smartwatch
The Apple Watch SE offers the contemporary Apple Watch design and practical usability at an attractive price point. While it may not include advanced features like the Series 9's always-on display or core health functions such as ECG and blood oxygen readings, it serves as an excellent entry-level option.
Christopher Allbritton/CNN Underscored
The Apple Watch Series 9 represents refinement rather than revolution, maintaining the excellent ease of use and seamless integration that has long distinguished the Apple Watch as our top choice, while introducing several valuable new features. For iPhone users purchasing their first smartwatch or upgrading after several years, this model stands out as the ideal choice.
In addition to fulfilling all the expected functions of an Apple Watch — such as displaying iPhone notifications, enabling calls, and monitoring sleep and exercise — the Series 9 introduces a significant new feature called Double Tap. This feature allows users to execute certain actions, like answering calls or controlling music playback, with a quick double pinch of their fingers, greatly enhancing one-handed operation. While one-handed controls have been available in previous Apple Watches as an accessibility feature, the Series 9 refines this functionality for mainstream use.
Among other enhancements, the Series 9 boasts a faster S9 chip capable of processing more commands, resulting in quicker and more reliable voice interactions for tasks such as setting timers or controlling smart home devices via Siri. iPhone 15 or 15 Pro users can benefit from Precision Finding, which provides step-by-step directions to locate a misplaced phone. Additionally, the display is twice as bright as that of its predecessor, ensuring improved visibility in direct sunlight. Furthermore, the Series 9 offers double the storage capacity at 64GB, allowing users to store more music and podcasts for offline listening.
It's important to note that Apple recently discontinued the original Series 9 model featuring blood oxygen tracking due to ongoing patent disputes. The current version available on Apple's website lacks this feature, although certain third-party retailers may still offer the initial model with blood oxygen monitoring. Consumers should pay attention to model numbers, as the updated Series 9 without blood oxygen tracking typically ends with "LW/A."
For existing Apple Watch Series 7 or 8 owners, the Series 9 represents a relatively incremental upgrade and may not warrant an immediate purchase. However, for those with a Series 6 or older model, or individuals seeking their first smartwatch, the Series 9 delivers the best overall value and functionality.
Max Buondonno/CNN Underscored
Similar to the latest Apple Watch, Samsung's Galaxy Watch 6 and Watch 6 Classic represent iterative updates that maintain the strengths of their predecessors. If you're an Android user, especially with a Samsung phone, and seek a comprehensive watch for health tracking and quick access to key apps, these watches are the top choice.
While the latest Galaxy Watches retain a similar appearance to previous models, they boast larger and brighter displays. With approximately 20% more screen space and a brightness boost to 2,000 nits, visibility is significantly enhanced, even in bright sunlight. The Watch 6 offers a sportier design, while the Watch 6 Classic caters to those preferring a more traditional look. Available in four sizes, ranging from 40mm to 47mm, all models provide comfortable wear.
The Galaxy Watch 6 impresses with its extensive health and fitness tracking capabilities, including heart rate, blood oxygen, and body composition monitoring, along with over 100 workout options. New features such as irregular heart notifications and skin temperature monitoring enhance health monitoring. Furthermore, robust sleep tracking features provide insights into sleep quality and offer tips for improvement.
Despite its strengths, the Watch 6 exhibits some drawbacks, such as somewhat mediocre performance from the Exynos W930 processor. While functional for daily use, it may not offer the same smoothness and responsiveness as competitors like the Pixel Watch 2 and Apple Watch Series 9. Additionally, battery life falls short of expectations, typically lasting about 35% to 45% of a day on a single charge.
Compatibility is another consideration, as the Watch 6 is optimized for Samsung devices. Features like the Samsung Health Monitor app and remote shutter functionality require a Galaxy phone. Google Pixel users may find better compatibility with the Pixel Watch 2, although it sacrifices display size and ruggedness.
Nevertheless, if compatibility is not a major concern, and if you're due for a watch upgrade, the Galaxy Watch 6's large, vibrant displays and comprehensive health features make it an excellent choice for most Android users.
Jacob Krol/CNN
The Apple Watch SE offers a comprehensive Apple Watch experience at a significantly lower price point compared to the Series 9, making it an attractive option for budget-conscious buyers.
In terms of essential features, the latest Watch SE delivers comparable functionality to its more expensive counterparts. Users can expect standard Apple Watch features such as detailed heart rate and sleep tracking, hands-free Siri support, and safety features like Emergency SOS and fall detection. Additionally, it boasts water resistance up to 50 meters and an 18-hour battery life, matching the Series 9.
However, there are some compromises to consider at this lower price. The Watch SE is equipped with the older but still efficient S8 chip, resulting in the absence of features like double tap for one-handed navigation, on-device Siri for faster commands, and Precision Finding for iPhone 15. Furthermore, the SE lacks the ability to perform an electrocardiogram via the ECG app for heart health insights. Its display brightness is limited to 1000 nits, half that of the Series 9, and lacks the Always-On Retina display found in premium models, which allows for quick access to important information even when the watch is inactive.
Nevertheless, for users comfortable with these trade-offs, the Apple Watch SE provides most of the functionality expected from an Apple Watch at an exceptional value.
As Underscored does with any product we test, we went deep on these watches. In many cases, it’s using them as any consumer would, wearing them daily, using them for workouts, maxing out the battery and, of course, seeing how they hold up to normal wear and tear.
We carefully went through the setup process, noting any necessary apps and extra steps each watch required. (For instance, how easy was it to set up notifications, one of the key features of a smartwatch?) We also considered third-party app and watch face availability, along with the ability to customize the overall look of the watch face.
We asked ourselves how easy it was to complete routine tasks, like viewing a weather forecast, checking daily agenda or sending a message. With everything set up, we wore each watch for several days, monitoring battery life with normal usage with the occasional workout mixed in, and continued to note how easy each watch was to use and any signs of wear and tear.
We paid close attention to activity tracking and health features. With the latter, we established a baseline with consumer-facing devices that are designed to just track those metrics (i.e., SpO2 or heart rate).
Once we had a good enough understanding of a watch, we rated it.
If you’re a serious athlete or adventurer — or simply willing to pay up for the most advanced Apple Watch experience out there — the Apple Watch Ultra is worth the money. For everyone else, the Apple Watch Series 8 remains a great pick.
With a great balance of features, specs and fitness tools, the Google Pixel Watch is probably the closest Wear OS watch you can call the “Apple Watch for Android phones.” If you have a Pixel phone or you’re a fan of the Fitbit brand, snagging this watch is a no-brainer. But, if you own another non-Apple phone like a Samsung Galaxy, you should look toward the excellent Galaxy Watch 5.
The Watch 5 Pro is a bigger, more durable version of our previous top Android pick in the Galaxy Watch 5 that also touts more advanced GPS tracking. It’s a good pick for people who do lots of biking or hiking (especially since there’s no Pro option on the Watch 6 series), but most people are better off with the standard Watch 6 or Watch 6 Classic.
The Apple Watch Series 3 offers almost everything the Series 9 and SE do. But then we considered that the hardware that makes up this watch is now a few years old, and as watchOS continues to grow and progress, the Series 3 will begin to slow down as Apple adds more features to watchOS or, even worse, support for future updates and features will eventually leave the Series 3 behind. That doesn’t mean that the features it has now will go away — and it’s a fine watch with these features — but to future-proof your investment, the Series 9 or Watch SE are better choices.
The Fitbit Versa 2 is a very good but very basic smartwatch. Its primary focus, and what it does best, is tracking activities and sleep — but after that, it falls short of what the Apple Watch Series 3 or Galaxy Active 2 can do.
The Garmin Instinct Solar has the unique feature of being able to recharge itself using solar power. That’s right — the watch face is a miniature solar panel that sips on sunrays to slowly replenish the battery. As such, Garmin estimates 24-day battery life off a single charge, as long as you’re outside for three hours a day in direct sunlight. In our testing, 12 days of use between charges was the norm. (We clearly need to get out more.) Tracking workouts, hikes and walks via the watch and dedicated GPS was simple once we got the hang of the watch’s interface. Where the Instinct Solar fell short was with its smartwatch capabilities. You can’t limit which apps send alerts to your watch — it’s all or nothing. If you spend a lot of time outdoors and you want a watch that’s built and designed for an active lifestyle without the often unnecessary smartwatch features like granular alerts, then the Instinct Solar makes a compelling offering.
Source: CNN
