The best Apple Watch

The best Apple Watch overall

The Apple Watch Series 6 is the best smartwatch Apple currently sells. It comes with top-of-the-line health features, a brighter always-on display, and fast charging.

Pros: Brighter always-on display, fast charging, more health metrics than any other Apple Watch, many color options

Cons: Expensive, not always clear how blood oxygen readings contribute to overall fitness metrics, battery life is short compared to Fitbit

The Apple Watch Series 6 is Apple’s priciest smartwatch, and also its most advanced. The Series 6 comes loaded with new health-oriented features and an upgraded chip from Apple. The biggest new addition is the ability to measure blood oxygen saturation, which refers to the percentage of oxygen your red blood cells distribute throughout the body. 

Other improvements include a slightly brighter always-on display and fast charging, the latter of which should make it easier to top off your watch in the morning after wearing it overnight for sleep tracking. However, like all Apple Watches, the Series 6’s battery life isn’t long enough to last two full days, unlike watches from Fitbit which offer multi-day battery life. 

The blood oxygen reader works by shining red and green LEDs and infrared light through your wrist and monitoring the color of the light that’s reflected back. Low oxygen levels could be an indication that you need to seek medical care, as the Minnesota Department of Health notes, but Apple says the Series 6 isn’t meant for medical use and should instead only be an indicator of overall wellness.

You can take a reading any time on the Series 6 through an app, and the watch can measure levels in the background, too. Although it’s great that the Apple Watch can offer a new metric for getting a glimpse into your general wellness, in my experience I found that it can be difficult to know what to make of these readings since they’re not meant for medical use.

The Series 6 also comes with all the health and fitness-focused features from the Series 5. These include the ability to detect hard falls, take an electrocardiogram from the wrist, call emergency services internationally, and alert you if noise levels in your surroundings may damage your hearing. It can also track a variety of different workout types, provide more precise location information through its built-in compass, and can track elevation with its always-on altimeter. 

The Apple Watch Series 6 has the most to offer when it comes to health tracking, but it also has another critical advantage: an always-on display. That means the watch’s screen is capable of showing your watch face even when the display would normally turn off, a useful feature that makes the Apple Watch perform better as a general purpose wrist watch. This feature debuted on the Series 5, which Apple no longer sells, but the Series 6 is the only model in the current lineup to have it. The always-on display is also slightly brighter on the Series 6 compared to the Series 5.

Apple also provides more choice  in terms of style for its top-of-the-line watch compared to the SE or Series 3. The Apple Watch Series 6 is available in silver, space gray, gold, blue, and red if you opt for the aluminum finish, while the stainless steel version comes in silver graphite and gold. The titanium model is available in titanium or space black. 

The Apple Watch Series 6 comes with more health and wellness capabilities, style options, and features that make it function better as a wristwatch compared to any watch in Apple’s lineup. Although the new blood oxygen readings alone may not be worth splurging on the  priciest model for many people, the overall experience is the best you can get on an Apple smartwatch for those who are willing to pay.

The best Apple Watch on a budget

With a recent Apple processor and many of the same features as the Series 6, the Apple Watch SE is a great budget-friendly option.  

Pros: Affordable price, robust health and fitness tracking features, large display

Cons: No always-on display

You don’t have to spend $400 to get an Apple Watch that feels new and fast. For the first time, Apple launched a second new watch alongside its flagship model: the $280 Apple Watch SE.

The Apple Watch SE has many of the same capabilities as the Series 6: it can track the same exercise types, monitor sleep, measure heart rate, detect hard falls,  comes with a built-in compass for location tracking, and features an always-on altimeter for logging elevation. 

Fitness buffs won’t be missing out on much with the SE, but those who want to get a more detailed picture of their overall health and wellness might. That’s because the SE lacks the ability to measure blood oxygen levels and take an ECG from the wrist.

With this in mind, the SE is better suited for potential buyers looking for a general-purpose smartwatch that can track their workouts and don’t need to keep as close of an eye on their cardiac health.

There’s another major feature missing from the SE: an always-on display. This is probably the most critical omission, considering it makes the SE less capable as a wrist watch. Even though the screen turns into a black square on your wrist when idle, it does have the more modern design Apple introduced with the Series 4  that makes it 30% larger than the Series 3’s display.

Color and finish options are also more limited on the SE than the Series 6, with Apple only offering an aluminum finish in silver, space gray, or gold. 

Still, for the price, the Apple Watch SE is an excellent choice. Although it’s missing features like an always-on display, fast charging, and blood oxygen measurements, the overall experience is very similar to the Series 6. I’ve even called it the best Apple Watch for most people given its more accessible price.

The best Apple Watch for just the basics

Not only is it the most affordable model you can buy, the Apple Watch Series 3 still offers reliable performance and includes features most people would need.

Pros: Solid performance, includes features most people would need, Apple Pay, fitness tracking, great app support, great value, very durable

Cons: Older processor, smaller display, no advanced fitness and health features, Digital Crown becomes less smooth with age, no always-on screen

After using the $200 Apple Watch Series 3 sporadically since it was introduced in 2017, it continues to perform well, making it the best Apple Watch for people on a tighter budget that just want the basics.

Compared to the SE, the less expensive Series 3 has a smaller screen, can’t detect hard falls, lacks the ability to call emergency services internationally, doesn’t have a built-in compass, and  doesn’t support family setup.

That last point is a bit disappointing since the price otherwise makes it an appealing option for a child or teenager’s first smartwatch. Of course, it’s also missing characteristics of the Series 6 like an always-on screen, blood oxygen level monitoring, and the ability to take an ECG. 

However, if you don’t need those features, the Series 3 still offers the same apps and services available on the pricier SE and Series 6, meaning it has many of the capabilities most people would want from a smartwatch.

Some of the applications we’ve used the Series 3 for include: Paying for a subway ride, withdrawing cash from an ATM, remotely triggering the shutter button on our iPhone, arming and disarming a home’s alarm system, choosing a Spotify playlist, getting directions, controlling smart home devices, waking us up each morning by vibrating on our wrist, and much more.

It also comes in an LTE variant just like the pricier models, which can be a lifesaver during instances in which you’ve left your phone at home. But like the SE, the Series 3  lacks an always-on display, meaning you must raise your wrist or touch the watch to wake it.

The Apple Watch Series 3 also has many of the same health and fitness capabilities of its pricier siblings, save for the ability to take an ECG and measure blood oxygen levels. One of our favorite Apple Watch features is the Activity Rings, which gamifies three physical activities: movement, exercise, and stand. With a desire to close the rings daily, this has encouraged us to be less sentient.

Even though it’s not the fastest, performance is still strong even after three years. I regularly use my Series 3 and never experience any crashes or slowdowns, even after installing new updates.

As for durability, the Series 3 seems very capable. After more than three years, it still doesn’t have a scratch. The Digital Crown doesn’t rotate as fluidly as when the watch was new, but it still works without problem. Even after swimming in both fresh and saltwater with it and wearing the watch in the shower, it still holds up just fine. 

Overall, the Series 3 has performed well after more than three years. But if you were to purchase it new today, there’s no guarantee it will maintain its strong performance for years to come.

It uses an older processor and as with all things tech, it will inevitably start slowing down as newer and more demanding apps are released. Although we recommend it for people on a tight budget, do realize that it may have shorter longevity from this point on. If your budget allows, opt for the SE.

When it comes to color choices and finishes, you only have the aluminum case in space gray or silver to choose from. 

All told, the Apple Watch Series 3 checks all the right boxes for those who just want basic smartwatch and fitness functionality.

Things to consider when you shop

Like any other tech product, choosing an Apple Watch model depends on your preferences, budget, and how you intend to use it. Here are some factors to consider when shopping for an Apple Watch.

• Health tracking: Are you looking for a device for comprehensive health features, like the ability to take an ECG from the wrist? Or do you just want to track your workouts and monitor your heart rate? If your answer is yes to the first question, the Series 6 is your best bet. Plus, since it charges more quickly, it’s a better choice for those who plan to use their Apple Watch for sleep tracking. Otherwise, consider the cheaper Apple Watch SE instead.
• Watch functionality: If having a smartwatch that functions as a regular watch all the time is most important to you, the Apple Watch Series 6 is the right choice. It’s Apple’s most expensive watch, but its always-on display and faster charging make it a more capable wristwatch. That’s because the Series 6 can show the time even when the screen is idle and doesn’t take as long to replenish its battery. While these features are helpful, they’re not necessary and mostly just add polish to the experience. If you’re going to spend the extra $120 on the Series 6, do it because you’re interested in the additional health features it has too offer as well. If these features aren’t as important to you, the cheaper Apple Watch SE has plenty to offer.   
• Material: Depending on the model, the Apple Watch comes in a few different materials, including aluminum, stainless steel, and titanium. Each material comes with its own price tag. You can also choose between different colors depending on the version. Apple launched two new blue and red color options for the Series 6 in addition to silver, space gray, and gold.
• Bands: Each Apple Watch is paired with a band at purchase, another style choice you’ll have to make. Some bands cost more than others. Thankfully, any Apple Watch can be used with any compatible band and you’re able to swap them out depending on your wardrobe and mood. Apple also allows you to pair any Apple Watch case with any band through its Apple Watch Studio customization tool when picking out a watch. Other accessory companies make their own Apple Watch bands and sell them at more affordable prices, so you can always add to your collection. 
• Regardless of which bands and materials you choose, every Apple Watch the company currently sells can run the same apps from the App Store, supports water resistance, and is compatible with the latest watchOS 7 software.