The Finest Smartwatches of 2024

Smartwatches have come a long way since they were introduced over a decade ago. The best smartwatch can handle essential phone features like making and receiving calls, sending messages, receiving notifications, and controlling music, but also tracks your workouts and monitors your health.

To thoroughly test for the best smartwatches, we wore each smartwatch daily for at least a week and ran through a battery of tests that included using the aforementioned phone, music, and health and tracking functions. Additionally, we tested any device/brand-specific features that are advertised as key selling points and noted our experiences using them. Most importantly, we paid close attention to core smartwatch features such as display visibility, battery life, and connectivity, all of which are likely to rank high on your checklists when shopping for a smartwatch.

Below are the best smartwatches based on our testing. To help you find the best smartwatch for your unique needs, we’ve included a buyer’s guide and comparison chart, as well as a price & value section.

The Best Smartwatches of 2024

Smartwatch Comparison Chart

How We Tested the Best Smartwatches

Our Expert Tester

Raymond Wong has been reviewing smartwatches since before modern smartwatches were mainstream. As a consumer tech reviewer for over 14 years with published reviews in major technology publications, including Inverse, Input, Mashable, and more, Raymond has been testing smartwatches since before the original Apple Watch was released in 2015. He’s tested dozens of smartwatches every year over the last decade, critically covering the rise and fall (and sometimes rise again) of smartwatches and the platforms that they run on.

Since 2013, when the original Pebble and Samsung Galaxy Gear kickstarted the modern smartwatch era, Raymond has reviewed every major smartwatch released, totaling over 75. From the premium to the midrange to the budget, he’s tried virtually every model that has been worth reviewing.

Our Testing Grounds

For this guide, we took seven smartwatches (Apple Watch Ultra 2, Samsung Galaxy Watch Pro 5 Pro, OnePlus Watch 2, Google Pixel Watch 2, Fitbit Sense 2, Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra, and Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 5 Enduro) and wore each of them for a week to collect sufficient fitness and health data, as well as test out the quality of their communications (phone, music, notifications, etc.). We wore them in the tough streets of New York City but also took them to the gym, running and walking in parks, and hiking in the mountains — all while New York was experiencing weeks of high temperatures in the upper 80s and low 90s (Fahrenheit, of course). We also wore the smartwatches for short swims at the local YMCA swimming pool and in the shower to test water resistance.

Smartwatches Buyer’s Guide

Buying a smartwatch may seem daunting, but it’s easy if you break things down in a systematic way. Here’s our recommendation on how to do that.

Features

When choosing a smartwatch, it’s important to consider compatibility and features. While virtually all Android-based (Wear OS) smartwatches can pair to iPhones, they won’t provide the same amount of features as an Apple Watch. It’s for this very reason that Apple Watches will almost always be the best choice for iPhone users. Yes, it means you’re locked into the Apple ecosystem, but that’s just how Apple devices work: The hardware and software are designed with deep integration in mind. And if you didn’t already know, Apple Watches also don’t work with Android phones. Womp, womp. 

Ecosystem lock-in doesn’t need to be a bad thing, though. It can make finding the smartwatch that works best with your phone easier, actually. If a phone brand makes its own smartwatch, chances are that’s the best option. Apple Watches work best with iPhones, Samsung Galaxy Watches work best with Samsung Galaxy phones, Google Pixel Watches work best with Pixel phones, etc. The open nature of Android-based smartwatches often means they should work with any supported Android phone regardless of brand, but you should read the fine print for yourself to see if any vital features might be omitted when paired interchangeably. 

Intended Use

Once you’ve figured out compatibility with your phone, it really comes down to deciding what features are most important to how you’ll use the smartwatch. Where will you be using it, and in what conditions? Do you value a large screen? A really bright screen? Are you okay with charging it every night, or do you want multi-day battery life? 

What kind of sensors for fitness and health tracking do you require? Do you need more than the typical optical heart sensor, gyroscope, and accelerometer? For example, do you need a certain ruggedness or durability because you might be exploring dunes or diving? Do you need GPS? What about cellular data or emergency services like the Apple Watch’s messaging via satellite? 

These are all important features to consider and there’s really no one-size smartwatch that fits all. Everyone has different needs; make a list and then go from there.

Battery Life

Sure, you could always carry a high-capacity power bank (they’re dirt cheap these days). But do you really want to have to recharge your smartwatch every night when you’re off the grid? Not if you can avoid it.

While many people might look at the batch of smartwatches we tested and feel they’re on the large side, the good thing about a bigger device is room for a bigger battery cell. The OnePlus Watch 2 is our champ if battery life is your No. 1 priority. We were impressed by its two-day battery life and 100 hours in “Smart Mode.” Your actual battery life will vary, but we’re confident that you’ll get as much or close to it. The Apple Watch Ultra 2 would have come in first place with its consistent three-day battery life (on a single charge), but its overall battery life falls short of the OnePlus Watch 2. 

Display Size

One thing is apparent if you follow smartwatch trends: People want bigger screens on their wrists. Larger displays mean more pixels to show timely information, like sensor data and notifications. A bigger display may not fit comfortably on smaller wrists, but the upside outweighs the downside, especially if you’re exploring in climates or weather conditions that are constantly changing. That’s a situation when you either can’t or don’t want to be fishing out your phone. 

Pretty much all of the smartwatches we tested are considered large enough with good screen visibility. It really comes down to how big is enough for your wrist. The Apple Watch Ultra 2’s 1.9-inch rectangle display is spacious and perfect for iPhone users. Android users should look into the OnePlus Watch 2’s 1.43-inch round display or the 1.4-inch display on the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro. For a more budget option with a large screen, check out the 1.4-inch screen on the Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra GPS.

For brightness, look for how many “nits” (measurement of brightness) a smartwatch’s display has. And pay close attention to terminology like “typical” or “peak” brightness. A typical brightness means the brightness level the screen will sustain, whereas a peak brightness means it’s capable of cranking things up only when needed.

Style

Though we prefer to prioritize features such as battery life and display size over style (we know you gotta look aesthetic for Instagram), the function should probably supersede form in the great outdoors. You’re not going to care that the smartwatch on your wrist looks cute if you’re lost.

The group of smartwatches we tested ranged from minimalist to rugged to semi-formal. The Apple Watch Ultra 2 and Samsung Galaxy Watch Pro 5 are unapologetically rugged-looking. Google’s Pixel Watch 2 is the most non-decorative of the bunch. Options, like the OnePlus Watch 2 and Mobvoi’s TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra GPS and TicWatch Pro 5 Enduro look strapped, paired with Gore-Tex shells or even button-down shirts. 

Price & Value

Value is different for everyone. And everybody has a specific budget. The most expensive smartwatch is not always the best choice. While it’s always nice to have features “just in case,” if you follow our guidance for noting down what you need from a smartwatch, you can narrow things down and only pay for what you need. Oftentimes, we never need the “just in case” features and may pay for a device with more features than we’ll ever use.

Also, be smart: Look for discounts. You’ll often find price reductions or promotions for all of the smartwatches we’ve tested.

Budget

The number of budget-priced smartwatches has increased significantly over the past five years. Whereas a $100 to $150 smartwatch would have been considered mostly junk back then, you can get decent devices like the Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra GPS ($127). You won’t get all of the latest features from Wear OS, but you will find the basics are surprisingly robust. 

Mid-Tier

If you’ve got just a bit more budget, the OnePlus Watch 2 ($250) and Google Pixel Watch 2 ($250) are great mid-tier smartwatches. The fit and finish are nearly as good as premium options except for a few cut corners, though those are admittedly very minor and might not even be shortcomings for your needs.

Premium

For almost no compromise, smartwatches such as the Apple Watch Ultra 2 ($800) and Samsung Galaxy Watch Pro 2 ($330) have it all. Out of all the smartwatches, they’re the most feature-packed, the most rugged, and future-proof. Also, Apple and Samsung will push out software updates that improve them for several years. The same can’t be said for mid-tier or budget smartwatches. In other words, you’re not just paying for the smartwatch you get in the box, but the features added later on.

Frequently Asked Questions