The best smartwatch 2024

The original Pixel Watch was an impressive smartwatch, but a series of small upgrades mean the second generation is best in class.

Battery life is the most significant improvement, meaning you can now comfortably get a full day and night on a single charge. The upgraded Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 chip also delivers a nice boost to performance.

Health and fitness tracking is extensive, and enables a huge range of information via the Fitbit app. But you’ll need a Fitbit Premium account to access some information, and sleep tracking isn’t the best.

But aside from no wireless charging, there are no other real downsides to the Pixel Watch 2. You get the same stunning design as its predecessor, plus slick Wear OS software which is intuitive and easy to use.

Overall, the Pixel Watch 2 offers everything most people are looking for in a smartwatch. But only if you have an Android phone, as it’s not compatible with the iPhone.

The Apple Watch SE is now over a year old, but it’s still is the best Apple Watch for most people with an iPhone. A big part of that is the price – it’s relatively affordable, which isn’t something you can often say about Apple hardware products.

It has many of the features of the more expensive Apple Watch Series 8, including a premium chipset, solid battery life and car crash detection.

If you equally value smart features like third-party app integration, music storage, contactless payments, and full fitness tracking, the Apple Watch is still the best smartwatch if you have an iPhone. The SE does everything surprisingly well, considering it’s the cheapest one.

Samsung ditched the Classic version of its Galaxy Watch in 2022, but it’s returned in style for this series. While it doesn’t come cheap, this is the best Android smartwatch you can buy.

Its defining feature is a physical rotating bezel, the main difference compared to the regular Galaxy Watch 6. Not only does it make using the watch easier, it adds some useful protection to the screen.

That display is another highlight, whether you go for the 43mm (1.3in) or 47mm (1.5in) option. It’s a crisp OLED, combining vibrant colours with excellent detail.

As you might expect, health and fitness tracking is extensive, with support for over 100 workouts and detailed sleep analysis. Battery life is also good, but only if you keep the always-on display turned off.

You’ll also have to make do without the ECG, blood pressure monitoring and irregular heart notifications if you don’t have a Samsung phone. But overall, this is still a fantastic smartwatch.

The Watch Series 9 continues Apple’s recent tradition of iterative updates. It’s very similar to the Watch Series 8, so there’s no reason to upgrade if you own the 2022 model.

However, there’s no doubting the fact that this remains a very good smartwatch. The already excellent display is now even brighter, making for great outdoor visibility. Its always on display is great, too.

Alongside superb health and fitness tracking (including sleep) and an unrivalled selection of supported apps via watchOS, the Series 9 is one of the most complete smartwatches you can buy.

Battery life is decent, but this is still only worth considering if you own an iPhone. Like all Apple Watches, it’s simply not compatible with Android.

The second-generation OnePlus smartwatch is a huge step up from the troubled original. Primarily, the firm has switched from its own issue-riddled software to Wear OS which makes for an infinitely more pleasant experience. 

One big reason to buy the Watch 2 over rivals is the long battery life it offers. This is made possible by its unusual dual-processor design so it can rely on the more power-efficient as much as possible to extend battery life. 

It’s also got quick charging and in our testing we found the fitness and sleep tracking to be both accurate and useful. OnePlus has done a great job with its premium look and durable build, too. 

And it’s cheaper than some rivals such as the Pixel Watch 2 but there are a few caveats to consider. There’s no LTE model if cellular data is important to you and it doesn’t have an ECG functionality either. 

There’s only one size of the smartwatch which is big and heavy meaning it’s not ideal for anyone with smaller wrists, though we’ve found the Nordic Blue Edition more comfortable based on initial testing. 

If running is your workout of choice, the Garmin Forerunner 265 is the best option available. The real reason to buy it over competitors is that OLED display, which looks great – even in bright sunlight.

Battery life is compromised slightly to included it, but you’ll still get up to 20 hours of constantly using the impressively accurate GPS. That’ll be plenty for even marathons, with extensive running data combining with genuinely useful coaching for a great user experience.

It also works well for cycling and swimming, making the 265 an excellent choice for triathlons. But various other activities are supported, and it’s lightweight design makes sleep tracking very comfortable.

Regular smartwatch features are more limited, though you can still get phone notifications (from iPhone or Android) and download songs for offline listening. But Garmin Pay is limited to only a few banks in the UK, and there’s no map app.

If you can live with those and the premium price, there’s no better watch out there for runners.

But if an OLED display, touchscreen and the training readiness feature aren’t important, go for the more affordable Forerunner 255S instead.

Unlike the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic, the regular Watch 6 is a small upgrade compared to its predecessor – the Watch 5. This more affordable option ditches the Classic’s physical rotating bezel for an underwhelming virtual version, but it’s still excellent in many areas.

That includes a slick design, complete with 1.3in (40mm) or 1.5in (44mm) OLED displays that perform superbly in all situations. Combine that with Samsung’s intuitive take on the WearOS software, and you’re onto a winner.

Performance is solid, but the Watch 6 really excels when it comes to health tracking. Tons of workouts are supported, alongside sleep tracking and a variety of ways to monitor your health.

However, three of these – ECGs, blood pressure monitoring and irregular heart rate detection – are only available if you have a Samsung phone. And even if you turn off the always-on display, a full day of battery life is only just within reach.

Nonetheless, the Watch 6 is still compelling enough to be one of the best smartwatches around, making it undeniably good value for money.

The Watch 2 Pro is the first premium Xiaomi smartwatch that we can recommend, and there’s one big reason for that: Wear OS. Switching to Google’s software allows for access to third-party apps via the Play Store, making it a much more powerful device.

And with Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 processor under the hood, performance is also very good. An attractive stainless steel bezel around the attractive 1.43-inch touchscreen gives the Watch 2 Pro a premium aesthetic, while a rotating physical crown makes navigation easy.

And with loads of health and fitness features (including sleep tracking), built-in GPS and the option for 4G, there’s a lot to like about the Watch 2 Pro.

Provided you can live with just one day of battery life, that is. The lack of automatic workout tracking, cluttered companion app and bulky design aren’t dealbreakers, but do you mind have to charge it every night? If not, the affordable price makes the Watch 2 Pro a real contender.

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is the ultimate smartwatch for the outdoors, even if there are very few upgrades compared to the 2022 original. If auto night mode and higher brightness aren’t important to you, it might be worth saving some money.

But there are plenty of reasons you might want to go for it over regular watches such as the Apple Watch Series 9. It’s significantly bigger and more expensive, but also adds extra layers of durability and better battery life.

It can still handle extreme environments, including very high and low temperatures and high altitudes, plus up to 100m underwater. There are also useful features such as dual-GPS and a physical action button that you’ll only find on the Apple Watch Ultra.

Elsewhere, everything you love about the regular Apple Watches are still here, including extensive fitness tracking and intuitive watchOS software. But it still only works with an iPhone, and you might be hoping for more in-depth data in some situations.

It’s a bit difficult to keep up with Xiaomi’s naming systems as the firm has also launched the Watch 2 recently. 

Regardless, the Watch S3 is a great alternative to both Apple Watch and rivals with Google’s Wear OS. It runs on Xiaomi’s own HyperOS and this is a key reason why the watch can last up to 15 days. 

Non-Google software can be something to avoid by HyperOS is smooth and feature-rich. It’s compatible with iPhone and Android but some features are reserved for the latter and contactless payment is limited to Mastercard at the time of writing. 

The design of the Watch S3 is also a key lure with its interchangeable bezels which you can swap over in seconds for different occasions. They also come with matching watch faces the S3 will suggest for a cohesive look. 

Xiaomi offers 5ATM (50m) waterproofing and runners will love the dual-band GPS for accurate tracking which is unusual at this price. Overall fitness tracking performance is better elsewhere though. 

And yes, the price you’re seeing here is correct, the S3 is very affordable making it a great choice for those on a budget.