Best Smart Watches

Apple Watch Ultra 3 holds first at 9.4 today, and I fully expect Ultra 4 to challenge for that spot once I have logged enough workouts on it. Apple announced Watch Series 12 at $399 and Watch Ultra 4 at $799 at its 9 September event, and the details that matter for my scoring are now clear.

The headline is a new heart rate sensor that takes a reading every five seconds and tracks heart rate variability. Apple says it tested the sensor against competing watches and a chest strap and found it the most accurate. I treat a manufacturer's own comparison as a claim to verify, and the chest strap test is exactly what I will run myself. Health carries the heaviest weight on this page, so accuracy is where a new watch wins or loses.

Battery is the second story. Interesting Engineering reports Ultra 4 reaches 45 hours of GPS tracking, and TechRepublic frames its overall endurance at about 50 hours, which is the headline gap with the Series 12. Ultra 3 currently scores 9.0 on battery, so a verified jump would move it.

Apple also added a daily readiness score built from activity, vitals and sleep, plus Audio Intelligence features that summarise conversations and transcribe the last 15 seconds of speech on the wrist. I find readiness scores useful when they are honest about rest days, and I will judge it on that.

For buyers this week, my advice depends on your budget. If you want Apple's best health sensor, wait for Ultra 4 reviews. If you want a proven watch now, Ultra 2 at 9.3 is the one I would pick up as retailers clear stock. Garmin Fenix 8 at 9.2 keeps the best battery score here at 9.6 and remains my choice for multi day hikes.

Apple Watch Ultra 3 holds first at 9.4, and iOS 27 changes how I would advise a buyer this week. Apple shipped it on 14 September with Siri rebuilt as its own app, trained with Google Gemini models, and the full version of that assistant runs on an A17 Pro chip or newer. A watch inherits a great deal from the phone in your pocket, so the assistant on your wrist now tracks which iPhone you own.

That gives me a clean piece of advice. If you already carry an iPhone 15 Pro or later, the Apple picks on this list get better the day you update. Ultra 3 scores 9.5 on health and 9.5 on ecosystem, Series 11 scores 9.5 on health with 8.5 on value, and both of them gain the new assistant through the phone with no hardware change at all.

If your iPhone is a 13 or a 14 and you plan to keep it another year, Garmin looks stronger this week than it did last week. Garmin's value is self contained. Fenix 8 posts 9.6 on battery and 9.5 on health, and none of that depends on which iPhone generation is in your bag. Forerunner 965 does the same job for runners at 9.0 battery and 9.5 health with a friendlier 8.6 value score.

Samsung buyers sit in a comfortable middle. Galaxy Watch 8 scores 9.2 on display and 8.7 on ecosystem, and its feature set is tied to the Galaxy phone line, which is on its own update cadence.

The practical move for everyone: update your phone first, live with it for a week, then decide which watch to pair with the software you now actually have.

Apple Watch Ultra 3 holds first at 9.4 for the final week before its successor ships, and the first hands-on coverage of Apple's new watches has given me a sharper checklist. DC Rainmaker's hands-on with the Ultra 4 and Series 12 and Tom's Guide's buying comparison land on the same core facts. Apple says Series 12 takes sixty times more heart rate measurements and 24 times more HRV readings than Series 11, powered by the new S11 chip. Ultra 4 reaches 3,000 nits against 2,000 on Series 12, and its battery rating climbs from 45 to 50 hours.

Those numbers target the health score I weigh most. Dense HRV sampling should make overnight recovery data far more stable, and recovery is exactly the metric where wrist-based trackers wobble. I will wear both from 18 September against a chest strap and a Garmin before I score them.

Tom's Guide's verdict matches mine for most shoppers: Series 12 is the sensible buy, and Ultra 4 earns its price for hikers, divers and endurance athletes who use the brighter screen and longer battery.

Until then the ranking holds. Ultra 3 leads because its 49mm titanium case, satellite SOS and multi-day battery make it the most complete watch I have tested. Ultra 2 stays second at 9.3 and becomes an excellent discounted buy as retailers clear inventory. Garmin Fenix 8 holds third at 9.2 for anyone who values two weeks of battery and offline maps above apps.

For Android owners, Galaxy Watch 8 at fifth (8.9) remains the pick, with a bright AMOLED screen, Samsung's antioxidant index and strong Galaxy phone integration.

If you already own an Ultra 2 or Ultra 3, my advice is to wait for my recovery testing before upgrading. If you are buying your first Apple Watch, preorder the Series 12.

Apple announced the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 at its September 9 event, with preorders open and availability on September 18. Series 12 starts at $399 and Ultra 4 at $799, matching the prices of the models they replace. The headline changes are a new S11 chip, a redesigned health sensing system that measures heart rate and HRV far more often, a new Readiness score and a returning ceramic case option. Ultra 4 keeps the 49mm titanium design and reaches 50 hours of battery life with satellite emergency SOS.

I am holding both new watches off the ranking until I have worn them. A Readiness score is only as good as the sensor data behind it, and I want a week of sleep and training data before I score recovery features.

The Apple Watch Ultra 3 stays first at 9.4. It is the most complete smartwatch on shelves today, with Apple's strongest health suite, a large and bright 49mm display and battery life that comfortably covers two days. Once Ultra 4 ships, discounted Ultra 3 stock becomes one of the smartest buys of the fall.

One score moves. The Apple Watch Series 10 eases from 8.8 to 8.7 because Series 12 makes it two generations old while its listed $399 price has stayed put. It keeps seventh place, and if you find one well below list, it remains a capable health watch.

Everything else holds. Samsung's Galaxy Watch 8 keeps fifth at 8.9 as my Android pick, and the Garmin Fenix 8 stays third for anyone who needs multi-day battery and offline maps on the trail.

Apple's keynote runs today, and while the focus is on phones, a watch refresh usually appears alongside. I am holding this ranking until there is announced hardware to assess, which is the only honest position to take while writing before an event.

The Apple Watch Ultra 3 stays first at 9.4. Its advantage is not any single specification. It is that the Ultra line finally settled the battery question that made every previous Apple Watch a compromise for anyone doing long training days. Two days of real use with sensors active is the threshold where a watch stops being something you manage and becomes something you wear.

The Garmin Fenix 8 at 9.2 is the watch I recommend for anyone whose training is the point rather than a feature. Battery measured in weeks, mapping that works without a phone, and metrics built on real physiology. If your watch needs to survive a multi-day event, this is the only correct answer in the list.

The Apple Watch Series 11 at 9.0 is the right choice for most people who simply want a smartwatch. The Ultra premium buys ruggedness and battery that a daily wearer will rarely need.

Buying advice for today: if you want an Apple Watch, wait until the keynote is over. Even if nothing changes, current-generation pricing typically softens after an event.

Two things are happening in this category at once. Garmin announced the fenix 9 and fenix 9 Pro on August 25, adding enhanced stamina metrics and a feature called Garmin Epic that groups multiple activities into one shareable story. Apple is expected to announce Apple Watch Series 12 with a ceramic case option and Apple Watch Ultra 4 on September 9.

I am holding every rank until both of those products are in hand. The Apple Ultra 3 stays first at 9.4 and I expect to rewrite the top of this list next week.

What I want readers to take from the Garmin announcement is where the real competition now sits. Garmin is competing on training depth, adding metrics that describe how much capacity you have left in a session. Apple is competing on health sensing and ecosystem. Those are different products aimed at different people, and the ranking blends them because most buyers want one watch. If your priority is structured training, the Garmin line deserves more weight than its position here suggests.

The Apple Ultra 2 at 9.3 remains the single best value in this ranking. It is a generation behind, it is substantially cheaper, and the differences from the Ultra 3 are ones most people will not notice in daily use. If the Ultra 4 arrives next week, the Ultra 2 becomes an even better purchase.

Wait a week if you are buying an Apple Watch. Buy a Garmin now if training is the point.

Apple's September 9 event is expected to bring the Apple Watch Series 12 with a ceramic case option and the Apple Watch Ultra 4, and separately IFA gave us the Moto Watch Ultra, Motorola's return to flagship Wear OS following OnePlus stepping back, with LTE, dual-band GPS, a 1.5-inch OLED, Google Pay, Gemini and fitness tracking developed with Polar. Motorola entering at the top end matters, because Wear OS has needed a serious hardware competitor to Samsung for years. I am changing nothing today. The Apple Watch Ultra 3 holds first at 9.4 and I want to say plainly that anyone considering it should wait until Thursday, because a successor announcement moves prices on the current model within days. The Ultra 2 at 9.3 is already the value play and will get cheaper. The Garmin fenix 8 at 9.2 remains my recommendation for anyone whose priority is multi-day battery life and genuine outdoor navigation, and it is the watch I would take on a Taiwanese mountain where charging is unavailable and a map matters. Apple wins on daily life and Garmin wins on the days that go wrong.

Apple is expected to announce the Watch Series 12 with a ceramic case option and the Watch Ultra 4 on September 9, and this list will need rewriting the following week. Until then the Apple Watch Ultra 3 holds first at 9.4 and it deserves it. The combination of the most complete health sensor array on the market, genuine multi-day battery in low power mode, and an ecosystem where the watch actually replaces your phone for a run or a swim is what puts it ahead. The Ultra 2 at 9.3 is the value play right now, and with a new Ultra arriving next week the pricing on the outgoing model will move further. If you want an Apple Watch and you can wait five days, waiting is clearly correct. Garmin Fenix 8 at 9.2 remains the choice for anyone whose primary use is training. Its battery is measured in weeks, its mapping works without a phone, and Garmin does not put training analytics behind a subscription. For a serious endurance athlete that combination still beats Apple. Apple Watch Series 11 at 9.0 is the mainstream option and Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 at 8.9 is the Android answer with excellent sleep tracking. Guidance for this week: hold any Apple Watch purchase until September 10, because prices across the current lineup will move on announcement day regardless of what you decide to buy.

Apple's September 9 event is expected to bring an Apple Watch Series 12 and an Apple Watch Ultra 4, and the details reported so far shape my advice more than usual. The Series 12 is described as a modest update: a ceramic case option, a possible new health sensor delivered through a fluoroelastomer band, and a new band attachment method. That last item is the one to watch. A changed attachment system affects every band you already own, and anyone with a drawer full of them should understand what carries over before upgrading. The Apple Watch Ultra 3 stays first at 9.4 because it is the most capable watch you can buy today and because the Ultra 4 will arrive at full price with the usual first-batch supply constraints. The Ultra 2 holding second at 9.3 is the value story here, and it gets stronger every week as the Ultra 4 approaches. Garmin's Fenix 8 at 9.2 remains the answer for anyone whose priority is multi-week battery and serious outdoor navigation, and nothing at Apple's event will change that. My guidance for the next eight days: wait if you want a new Apple Watch, and watch the band compatibility details closely when they are announced.

The Apple Watch Ultra 3 holds first because it delivers the most complete health sensor package available alongside a battery that genuinely lasts multiple days in normal use, which was the standing objection to Apple's watches. The addition of satellite connectivity also changes what the watch can do when you are outside cellular coverage, and for anyone who hikes or runs remote trails that is a safety capability rather than a specification. The Ultra 2 at second remains excellent at a lower price and shares most of the sensor suite. The Garmin Fenix 8 at third is the choice for multi day expeditions and serious endurance training, with battery measured in weeks and the deepest training analysis available. If your watch needs to survive a week without charging, Garmin is the answer. The Apple Watch Series 11 at fourth is the mainstream pick with the best balance of size and capability, and the Galaxy Watch 8 at fifth suits Android households. IFA opens September 4 with Samsung, Xiaomi, Withings and others confirmed in wearables, so autumn announcements are days away. The ranking holds today.