The Best Smartwatches for 2024

Why We Picked It 

The Apple Watch Series 9 offers a broad suite of built-in lifestyle, fitness, health, and safety tools, plus the best selection of third-party apps for any smartwatch. The newest version features an impressively bright 2,000-nit display (up from 1,000 nits last generation) for improved outdoor visibility without an impact on battery life. Its new S9 SiC chip enables even more features, like on-device Siri processing, precise directional device finding with the iPhone 15 family, and a double-tap gesture for one-handed operation. With these upgrades, the Apple Watch Series 9 remains the best iPhone-compatible smartwatch for most buyers. 

Who It's For

If you're in search of a feature-rich smartwatch to stay connected, keep tabs on your health, and track your fitness, the Series 9 is our Editors' Choice winner. It's worth the premium over the Watch SE for its larger screen, always-on display option, and advanced health-tracking capabilities. Just be aware that Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 models sold in the US since Jan. 18, 2024 do not allow for blood oxygen saturation monitoring.

With the Series 9, you can choose from a 41mm (small) or 45mm (large) case in aluminum or stainless steel with Bluetooth, GPS, and Wi-Fi support, or add cellular connectivity to the mix. Stainless steel and cellular models cost extra. All aluminum Series 9 models paired with a new Sport Loop band are carbon neutral, as denoted by a green leaf logo on the packaging.

All three Apple smartwatches on this list require an iPhone Xs or later with iOS 17 or later and do not work with Android handsets.

Why We Picked It 

In the crowded fitness smartwatch market, Garmin's Venu Sq 2 stands out for its practicality. It features a large AMOLED color touch screen with a squarish design that offers better text legibility compared with round models. Battery life is also a strong suit: In testing, the Venu Sq 2 ran for up to nine days between charges with light use. As with the higher-end round Venu 2 series, the second-generation Sq model is a fitness-first wearable with a robust suite of workout- and health-tracking tools, but it also offers some useful lifestyle features, including calendar and weather apps, vibrating alarms, smartphone notifications, and Garmin Pay mobile payment support. 

Who It's For

If you're looking for a reasonably affordable smartwatch with a focus on fitness, the Garmin Venu Sq 2 is an Editors' Choice winner. It pairs with smartphones running at least iOS 15 or Android 7.0 via the Garmin Connect app, so compatibility shouldn't be an issue. In addition to the base model, Garmin sells a Music Edition for $50 extra that offers onboard storage for up to 500 songs. 

Why We Picked It 

Samsung didn't reinvent the wheel with its latest flagship smartwatch, but it didn't have to. This newest version features a bigger, brighter 2,000-nit display, at the expense of some battery life, with the same sleek design as its predecessor.

The Galaxy Watch 6 series runs Wear OS, which gives you access to all the standard Google apps like Assistant, Maps, Messages, and the Play Store. On the wellness front, the Galaxy Watch 6 offers a few features that are not available on the Apple Watch or Pixel Watch, including overnight snore tracking and body composition measurements. 

The standard Galaxy Watch 6 features a touch bezel for quick scrolling, an aluminum case, and a water-friendly sport band. If you want a physical rotating bezel for even quicker, more precise scrolling, you'll have to look at the pricier Galaxy Watch 6 Classic.

Who It's For

The Galaxy Watch 6 is the best Apple Watch alternative for most Android users. It comes in small (40mm) or large (44mm) sizes, three different aluminum case colors (graphite, gold, or silver), and two connectivity options (with or without LTE), thus accommodating a wide range of buyers. Outdoor adventurers might prefer the still-available Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, which offers longer battery life, a more durable titanium case, an even stronger sapphire crystal glass display, and a few outdoor-specific navigation features.

Similar to how the Apple Watch works only with iPhones, the Galaxy Watch 6 series is exclusive to Android phones. Samsung's latest smartwatches require a device running Android 10 or higher with more than 1.5GB of RAM. Although you can pair the Watch 6 with non-Samsung Android phones, some features, including irregular heart rhythm notifications, phone separation alerts, and the Camera Controller app, work only with handsets of the same brand. 

Why We Picked It 

The Watch SE is the least expensive and smallest smartwatch in Apple's lineup. The second-generation model isn't a massive update to the original, but Apple has lowered the price by $30, upgraded the processor, added a new motion sensor for Crash Detection, and changed to a more environmentally friendly back cover. You miss out on an always-on display and a few health sensors (ECG, SpO2, and temperature), but it otherwise offers almost all the other connectivity, safety, and fitness features of the Series 9 for $150 less. 

Safety features include Emergency SOS, Fall Detection, and irregular heart rate and rhythm notifications. Cellular SE models also now support international emergency calling, so you can reach emergency services in more than 120 countries and regions without your phone while traveling. On the health front, we especially like the automatic 20-second handwashing timer.

Who It's For

The Apple Watch SE is a solid option for its target audience of first-time smartwatch buyers, children/teens, and older adults. It even supports Apple's Family Setup feature, which enables you to manage the watch for a family member who doesn't have an iPhone. The Apple Watch SE is an excellent budget-friendly pick, but the Series 9 retains our Editors' Choice award for its more robust health-tracking capabilities and always-on display option. That said, Apple has disabled blood oxygen saturation monitoring on Series 9 and Ultra 2 units currently being sold in the US, narrowing the gap between them and the Watch SE, which has always lacked that sensor.

Why We Picked It 

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 offers a more rugged build and longer battery life than its siblings, plus exclusive outdoor adventuring features that can help you stay safe when you veer off the beaten path. The Ultra series represents the most significant design departure for the Apple Watch yet, with a bright orange customizable Action button, a more tactile Digital Crown you can operate with gloved hands, and a completely flat (vs. domed) front crystal for increased durability. It includes Apple's S9 SiC chip, which enables features like on-device Siri processing, precise directional device tracking (with an iPhone 15), and a double-tap gesture.

The Ultra comes with cellular connectivity by default and offers noticeably improved call quality thanks to a dual-speaker system and three-microphone array. Other upgrades include a brighter display, improved water resistance, a dual-frequency GPS for greater accuracy in cities and the woods, and a built-in 86dB emergency siren that is audible from up to 600 feet away. For underwater treks, the watch has an EN13319 certification and a depth gauge with a water temperature sensor.

Who It's For

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is best for endurance athletes, ocean enthusiasts, and anyone else who spends a lot of time in the great outdoors. With a WR100 water-resistance rating, the Ultra 2 is the only Apple Watch suitable for high-speed water sports and recreational diving. It works for recreational dives at depths of up to 40 meters and can function as a dive computer with the Oceanic+ app. It's pricey, though, and people with smaller wrists might not like its bulky design.

Why We Picked It 

Though it has limited access to apps, the Fitbit Versa 4 is an excellent fitness-focused smartwatch. We appreciate its attractive, comfortable design which offers a few improvements over the last generation, including a slimmer case, a physical button, and a more responsive touch screen. The latest model offers 40 exercise modes, up from 20 last generation.

Moreover, the Versa line continues to stand out for its affordability and long battery life. In testing, it lasted four days between charges with the always-on display enabled and the screen brightness set to max. In addition to its robust fitness and health capabilities, it has a small but useful selection of lifestyle features, including Amazon Alexa, Google Maps, and Google Pay. On the downside, the Versa 4 doesn't support third-party app downloads, with the exception of watch faces.

Who It's For

If you're looking for a smartwatch with support for cellular calling and third-party apps, this isn't it. Instead, the Versa 4 is a strong option for anyone in search of an attractive fitness-focused smartwatch that keeps things simple. If you want even more wellness-focused bells and whistles, including an ECG sensor for heart rhythm assessments and a cEDA sensor for a more robust stress management experience, the Fitbit Sense 2 is an excellent alternative.

For activation and setup, Fitbit devices require the Fitbit app, which is compatible with smartphones running at least Android 9 or iOS 15. Fitbit is in the process of migrating its app to Google's authentication platform. At this point, all new users will need a Google account to log into the Fitbit app. Legacy Fitbit users will soon need to migrate their account over to Google's platform to log in, a fairly painless process we detail in our Versa 4 review. 

Why We Picked It 

The Pixel Watch 2 is noteworthy because it's Google's own smartwatch line and it runs on the Android-friendly Wear OS smartwatch operating system. Aesthetically, it's a breath of fresh air, with a domed face that looks like a drop of water on your wrist. It offers all the preinstalled lifestyle features you expect from a premium smartwatch, including calling/texting, mobile payments, and smart home controls. Offering full Fitbit integration, it's also well equipped for health and fitness tracking, with sensors to monitor your skin temperature and stress responses. And with the Play Store on your wrist, you can customize the watch with a wide range of third-party apps. 

Who It's For

The Pixel Watch 2 works with most phones running Android 9.0 or newer via the Google Pixel Watch app, which requires a Google Account to log in. It is not compatible with iPhones.

There are no limitations when you use the Pixel Watch 2 with a non-Pixel Android phone. By comparison, some Galaxy Watch 6 features only work only with Samsung handsets. Ultimately, the Galaxy Watch 6 has a slight edge because of its lower price, better battery life, and more durable design, but the Pixel Watch 2 is an excellent, attractive alternative.

Why We Picked It 

The Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 5 stands out among its Wear OS peers because of its excellent 80-hour runtime per charge, a figure that rivals that of the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro. The watch's ultra-low-power screen certainly plays a part; it lets you scroll through data like compass bearings, your SpO2 level, and heart rate readings without activating the battery-draining AMOLED display. Additional highlights include an attractively classic (albeit slightly bulky) design and a speedy internal chip. There's no cellular option and Google Assistant support isn't available as of this writing, but it otherwise offers many lifestyle features, a wide selection of downloadable apps via the Google Play Store, and robust fitness- and health-tracking capabilities. 

Who It's For 

If you want a WearOS smartwatch with long battery life, the Android-only TicWatch Pro 5 is worth a look. It offers a similar feature set as the Google Pixel Watch 2 in a more durable build with about three times the battery life. For even longer runtimes, check out the Wear OS-powered OnePlus Watch 2, which powered through 102 hours in our tests before it needed charging.

Why We Picked It

While the Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 5 achieves its impressive battery life thanks to its ultra-low-power (ULP) display, the OnePlus Watch 2 gets even better results by employing two different operating systems to save power. It uses Wear OS 4 to run third-party apps and other battery-intensive tasks, and a proprietary real-time operating system (RTOS) for low-power operations like sending notifications or running background tasks. It lasted an impressive 103 hours in testing in its default smart mode, and 69 hours with its always-on AMOLED display enabled. It also has all of the apps and smarts you expect from a Wear OS watch, and it doubles as a capable fitness and sleep tracker.

Who It’s For

Like other Wear OS devices, you need an Android phone to use the OnePlus Watch 2. If you have a OnePlus phone, the watch will automatically sync weather and alarm apps, but it otherwise functions the same on any handset running Android 8.0 or later. The OnePlus Watch 2 only comes in one large 47mm size and doesn’t have an LTE option. The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 offers more design and connectivity options, plus phone camera controls and additional health sensors, but the OnePlus Watch 2 is an excellent alternative if you prioritize battery life.

Why We Picked It 

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic is most notable for its rotating bezel, its main differentiator from the standard Galaxy Watch 6. More than just a design touch, it lets you quickly scroll through apps, menus, metrics, text, tiles, and more. It's easy to rotate in either direction with one finger or two, with stopping points that enable more precise scrolling than its sibling's touch bezel. The Classic's upgrades also include a shinier and more durable stainless steel case and a classier-looking hybrid eco-leather (synthetic) band. Like the standard model, the Watch 6 Classic runs Wear OS, which means you get access to Google Maps, the Play Store, and a wide selection of third-party apps. 

Who It's For

The Samsung Watch 6 Classic is an excellent option for those in search of a lifestyle-focused Android-compatible smartwatch. Choose this over the standard Watch 6 if you want a bit of bling and the improved functionality of its rotating bezel.

The Watch 6 Classic is compatible with smartphones running Android 10 or higher with more than 1.5GB of RAM, so iPhone users are out of luck. It comes in 43mm and 47mm sizes in black or silver. Base models support Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, or you can add LTE connectivity for $50 more.