Our favourite wearables right now

The Apple Watch Series 10 is our favourite smartwatch right now thanks to its comfortable fit, excellent software and useful sensors. The 2024 redesign isn’t game-changing but it is a positive as the Apple Watch continues to exemplify the best of the best in the smartwatch category. 

While Google is putting in the work to catch up with its Wear OS platform, watchOS remains the best smartwatch software around. The operating system supports an extensive range of first- and third-party apps and there are plenty of new software features, though these are not exclusive to the latest model with WatchOS 11 rolling out on older watches too. 

The Vitals app is a welcome addition as it displays its wearer’s respiratory rate, blood oxygen level, heart rate and more in one easy-to-view place. Sleep apnea detection is also an important new feature, monitoring breathing over 30 days and altering the user if they show symptoms of the condition. 

The heart rate and GPS sensors offer great accuracy when tracking activities, while new software features like Training Load offer feedback on how the body is recovering and responding to workouts. There are some new swimming features taken straight from the Apple Watch Ultra 2, including customised pool workouts and the Depth app, though the Ultra 2 remains the stronger choice for divers with its 100m water resistance up from the 50m on the Apple Watch Series 10. 

Design-wise, the watch comes in new sizes compared to previous versions like the Apple Watch Series 9, with the 41mm model increasing to 42mm and the 45mm one to 46mm. The Apple Watch Series 10 features a 30% larger OLED display that is bright, responsive and easily visible in all situations. The watch is 10% thinner too, making it noticeably more comfortable on the wrist.

Finally, the charging speed has been given a boost, allowing it to reach 80% in 30 minutes and 100% in 50 minutes. The battery life remains disappointing, but top rivals like the Pixel Watch 3 and Galaxy Watch 7 are hardly endurance kings either. For this reason, we’d recommend opting for the Ultra 2 if you want an Apple Watch that can last a few days between charges.

Reviewer: Max Parker
Full review: Apple Watch Series 10 Review

The original Apple Watch SE was a great prospect for consumers, offering up the core watchOS experience at a significantly lower price than the mainline numbered Apple Watches. The Watch SE 2 continues that trend but this time it’s implemented a few of the latest high-end features whilst also bringing the price down slightly.

The biggest upgrade for the SE 2 is the included S8 chipset, which is the exact same processor found within the far pricier Apple Watch 8. This means that you’re getting the same speedy performance of Apple’s latest wearable, so when it comes to day to day use, you’re not penalised by opting for the cheaper watch.

Also added to the SE 2 is Apple’s new accelerometer which allows the watch to detect if you’ve been in a car accident before calling the local authorities. Of course it’s the type of feature that hopefully you should never have to put to the test, but it does give some peace of mind to know that it’s there.

Of course, the caveats with the original Watch SE remain, including the lack of an always-on display and the absence of both the ECG monitor and the blood oxygen sensor. If you feel that any of those features are ones that you can’t live without then it’s worth plumping to get one of the mainline Apple Watches.

Still, even without those additional sensors, workout tracking on the Watch SE 2 is top notch, particularly for how seamlessly it syncs with the iPhone fitness app so you know exactly whether or not you’ve been hitting your fitness goals. There’s even built-in GPS tracking and support for offline playback via Apple Music.

It’s not worth upgrading to if you have the original Apple Watch SE, but if you’re looking for your first Apple wearable and you don’t want to spend too much money in the process, then there’s a lot to love about the Apple Watch SE 2.

Reviewer: Max Parker
Full review: Apple Watch SE 2 Review

For the longest time it was the outstanding TicWatch Pro 5 that held this top spot, and if you value an always-on display then it’s still the one to buy but for everything else, the OnePlus Watch 2 just does it better.

OxygenOS has always been a stylish take on Android and now OnePlus has infused some of its artistic chops into Wear OS, making for one of the better looking overlays for Google’s wearable platform, one that makes everything feel uniform and intentional.

What really separates the OnePlus Watch 2 from the rest however is its dual-architecture. Unlike its abysmal predecessor, the Watch 2 features all of the typical smarts that you’d expect from a Wear OS device, running for up to four days on a charge, but if you’re looking to go away for a week and happen to forget your charger, then you can swap over to the 12-day Power save mode.

Usually modes like this cut out far too many features to be considered useful but OnePlus’ is different. In this more power efficient mode you can still track workouts, receive notifications and even control your music playback, making it still feel like a smartwatch. We only hope that more manufacturers take a similar approach to power saver modes in the future.

Reviewer: Michael Sawh
Full review: OnePlus Watch 2 Review

It’s probably best to say right off the bat that if you have a Garmin Fenix 7 then there’s no need to immediately go out and upgrade to the newer Fenix 7 Pro. The reason being that the upgrades here are relatively small, but if you’re looking to buy your first high-end Garmin watch, or even just invest in a proper running watch to hit your fitness goals, then the Garmin Fenix 7 Pro is easily one of the company’s best.

The 7 Pro builds upon the excellent foundations laid by the Fenix 7 by packing a great battery life from the jump. In smartwatch mode, it’s possible for some users to reach up to 22-days of use from a single charge, which easily outpaces the majority of smartwatches on this list. For all you marathon runners out there, you can squeeze up to 23-hours of battery in GPS mode, which is well worth doing for the excellent map data featured on the Fenix 7 Pro.

This time around Garmin has added relief shading to present maps in greater detail than before, as well as the new ‘Up Ahead’ function that provides runners with insights about any points of interest they may come across during a run or a hike. Having these features, on top of the map support that Garmin’s been refining for years now, shows why the company is the go-to pick for serious athletes.

In addition to the improved mapping, Garmin has added a new heart rate sensor which, in theory, should produce more accurate results than before. In testing however, we struggled to see any noticeable difference with the newer sensor, so if you want the most accurate data possible then we still recommend grabbing a chest-worn heart rate strap.

Overall it doesn’t boast the amount of upgrades that Garmin Fenix fans were probably hoping for, but that doesn’t mean that the Fenix 7 Pro isn’t still a great watch for fitness enthusiasts, and unless you want a few more smartwatch features from the more expensive Garmin Epix Pro (Gen 2), then you’ll get on well with what’s on offer here.

Reviewer: Michael Sawh
Full review: Garmin Fenix 7 Pro Review

It says a lot about a company’s confidence in a product when it doesn’t need to put out an update every year, and that’s exactly how things have transpired with the wearables of Withings. The original Withings ScanWatch was a fantastic hybrid smartwatch that hit the market back in 2020 and after three years, the company felt that the time was right to release a successor in the simply named Withings ScanWatch 2.

The core design is almost identical to that of its predecessor which, as far as we’re concerned, is great. The ScanWatch 2 uses traditional watch hands to tell the time, which means that it looks like an analogue timepiece from a distance, allowing it to pair incredibly well with smarter attire. Look a little closer however and you’ll see it’s smart trappings just below the surface.

Underneath the watch hands, there’s a 0.63-inch OLED display that’s used for displaying notifications, heart rate readings and more. So that you can get a good view of its dinky display, the ScanWatch 2 moves its hands away, forming a ‘v’ shape, before moving them back into place when you’re done reading.

On these merits alone, the Withings ScanWatch 2 is a great option for anyone who isn’t sold on the almost monolithic aesthetic that most smartwatches carry, and would rather have something that seamlessly blends style with substance, but there’s more to it than that.

The ScanWatch 2 is quite a competent health and fitness tracker, with one of its new features being temperature readings. This offers up a more detailed level of sleep tracking, and the Withings app does a great job of breaking down key information in a digestible form, all while offering actionable advice to go with it. Even though it’s quite pricey compared to most other smartwatches, the Withings ScanWatch 2 is still the ideal hybrid option in 2024.

Reviewer: Michael Sawh
Full Review: Withings ScanWatch 2 Review

While there’s some weight to the argument that the Fitbit Charge 6 is more of a fitness tracker than a smartwatch, Fitbit has packed so much into the budget-friendly wearable that it remains an easy recommendation for most people.

The Fitbit Charge 6 sports not only an updated design compared to the Charge 5, but the return of the handy side button. The bigger addition, however, is the introduction of new Google services like Wallet, Maps and YouTube Music that immediately make the budget wearable more capable than much of the similarly priced competition.

Combined with key bits of smartwatch functionality like handling incoming notifications, alarms, timers and offering ‘Find my phone’ functionality, the Charge 6 can easily compete with full-fat smartwatches in our chart. Of course, with Fitbit, it’s all about health and fitness tracking, and the Charge 6 doesn’t disappoint in this regard.

There’s no shortage of dedicated workouts to track in the Fitbit app, and the Charge 6 will also measure key metrics like heart rate, blood oxygen levels and movement to gauge your general fitness, and the Charge 6’s sleep tracking is pretty in-depth too. Crucially, all this data is presented in a user-friendly way that even beginners can understand.

A new AI-based heart rhythm algorithm also improves the accuracy of HR readings, though the Charge range’s GPS performance remains a weak point.

The only catch is that some features and metrics, especially in the sleep tracking department, are locked behind a Fitbit Premium paywall.

Reviewer: Conor Allison
Full review: Fitbit Charge 6 Review

Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra

The best Samsung smartwatch

Pros

• Wear OS gets some design personality
• Strong GPS and HR accuracy
• Ultra-bright and clear display
• Comprehensive sleep tracking

Cons

• Navigation crying out for rotating bezel
• Inconsistent battery life
• Not a good fit for smaller wrists
• Exclusive features for Samsung phones

Even though the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro brought a lot of good features to the table, its spiritual successor, the Galaxy Watch Ultra, is now the better watch to buy. Bear in mind that it does come at a premium, priced at £599/$649.99 the Watch Ultra is definitely one of the pricier Wear OS watches on the market (and you can opt for the cheaper Galaxy Watch 7), but if your budget can accommodate for the expenditure then you’ll be happy with what’s on offer here.

With a titanium chassis, waterproofing up to 10ATM (100 metres) and a two day battery life, the Galaxy Watch Ultra is designed to be taken with you into the great outdoors as it’s rugged enough to withstand hiking as well as intense workouts. While the design might not be to everyone’s tastes, the Watch Ultra at least stands out from the crowd with its blend of both circular and more squared off features.

Unfortunately the watch does lack the rotating bezel found on the Galaxy Watch 7, so navigation is a bit more fiddly than it needs to be but there is a new ‘Quick Button’ to add some additional functionality, allowing you to toggle a specific feature more quickly.

Samsung’s BioActive sensor also needs a bit more work in order to be taken seriously, with accuracy still being an issue, but GPS tracking and HRM are solid, and there is no shortage of workouts to be tracked so the core fitness experience is great overall.

Reviewer: Conor Allison
Full Review: Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra Review

Apple Watch Ultra 2

Best rugged smartwatch

Pros

• Top screen
• Excellent sports tracking
• The best Apple Watch

Cons

• Fitness tracking feels dated
• Lack of performance analysis
• Mapping rolling out slowly

Much like the Apple Watch 9, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 can really only be recommended to iPhone users (if you want an Android compatible rugged smartwatch then check out our best Garmin watch round-up). However, if you are tied into Apple’s ecosystem and you have the budget to accommodate this wearable’s admittedly high asking price then you won’t find anything better than the Apple Watch Ultra 2.

This beast of a smartwatch features a 49mm titanium case which makes it readily suited to take on the elements. It’s even designed to withstand high levels of water pressure so that freedivers can use the watch in depths of up to 40m.

It also boasts IP6X dust resistance so you can rest assured that the high asking price does as least come with the peace of mind in knowing that the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is an investment, designed to last well into the future.

This robust design is complemented by the large 1.91-inch OLED display that’s incredibly easy to read, particularly as it has an astounding peak brightness level of 3000nits which absolutely decimates the 1000nits peak brightness of the original Watch Ultra.

Because the Watch Ultra 2 is designed to go the distance, it also lasts for much longer on a single charge – up to 72-hours in fact. It’s certainly not as lengthy as what you’ll get from something like the Garmin Enduro 2 but as far as Apple Watches go, the extra longevity doesn’t go amiss.

Just like the Apple Watch Series 9, the Ultra 2 also boasts Double Tap to interact with the device, which can definitely help out if you’re on a long distance run and you don’t want to leave any sweat or smudge marks on the display.

Reviewer: James Stables
Full Review: Apple Watch Ultra 2 Review

Coros Vertix 2

Best for battery life

Pros

• Great battery life
• Reliable sports tracking
• Added map support

Cons

• Music player doesn’t work with third-party apps
• Heavier than original Vertix
• Missing ANT+ support

As feature packed as smartwatches can be, there is a tendency for battery life to be their achilles heel. You’d be lucky to get more than two days of use out of the mainline watches from Apple and Samsung, but luckily the Coros Vertix 2 has no such problem.

If you want a smartwatch that can actually go the distance to the point where you’ll almost forget that it even needs to be charged then the Vertix 2 is your best option by a country mile. While the Garmin Enduro 2 can last for up to 33-days on a single charge, the Vertix 2 trumps that with a staggering 60-day battery life in smartwatch mode. Yes, you read that right – two whole months.

There are a few concessions that come with that long-standing battery life – the Vertix 2 uses a memory-in-pixel display which won’t look out of place to Garmin users but may seem like a step back to fans of the Apple Watch. Similarly, the Vertix 2 doesn’t lead the pack in terms of smart features, as there’s no digital assistant or third-party apps to bolster the wearable experience. What the Vertix 2 does excel in however (aside from battery life) is in fitness tracking.

The accompanying Coros app is a dream come true for enthusiasts and athletes who want to plan every aspect of their workout routine, down to the tiniest detail. The watch itself features high-end sensors to track everything from your heart rate to your HRV, the latter of which is crucial for monitoring your body’s post-workout recovery.

The Vertix 2 also offers excellent mapping support which, in conjunction with its dual-frequency GPS connectivity, makes it ideal for tracking outdoors runs and hikes. The one thing to bear in mind is that the Vertix 2 doesn’t come cheap with a price tag of £599/$699, but there’s no denying that when it comes to battery life, no other smartwatch comes close.

Reviewer: Michael Sawh
Full Review: Coros Vertix 2 Review