Best Smart Watches, Editor Tested and Reviewed (2024): Apple Watch, Wear OS, Hybrid watches, Kids watches

Other Smartwatches to Consider

The number of smartwatches on the market is staggering. I’ve tested models from Tag Heuer, Citizen, Montblanc, and many other fashion brands, but most of them are expensive for what you get. Here are a few of my favorite options.

Samsung Galaxy Watch6 and Watch6 Classic for $200 and $280: Why not save some cash and buy the 2023 model of the Samsung Galaxy smartwatch? The Galaxy Watch6 series comes in many flavors (7/10, WIRED Recommends), as you can choose from two sizes in the regular version and two sizes in the Classic model, which features a mechanical rotating bezel to scroll through the interface. Just remember that while these work with any Android phone, only Samsung phone owners can enjoy electrocardiogram and irregular heartbeat alerts. The large Classic size lasted two full days for me, and a day and a half with the always-on display.

Withings ScanWatch 2 for $350: ScanWatch 2 (7/10, WIRED Recommends) can pass for an analog watch. Its health tracking feature set is extensive—you get heart rate monitoring, electrocardiogram, blood pressure measurements, and sleep tracking. Battery life is stellar too, as it can last up to 30 days with light use. (Heavy use will see about 22 days before needing a charge.) The biggest problem is the small display on this watch, too small to read some notifications. GPS is also tethered, meaning it needs your phone to be connected as a modem and nearby. There is an optional Health+ subscription, but we’d advise against it, as it doesn’t offer much help. The ScanWatch 2 comes in a 42-mm or 38-mm case size, and like the Garmin Vivomove Trend, it doesn’t have the rich features and apps you’ll find on the likes of the Apple Watch, but if you just want to monitor your health data—and you don’t want your watch to look professional—this will do the job.

Photo: Julian Chokkattu

Google Pixel Watch 2 for $250: The original Pixel Watch lacked a lot of features when it launched, but Google slowly added them over a year. That said, the Pixel Watch 2 (7/10, WIRED Recommended) has everything you could want. There is auto-start and auto-stop exercise detection, fall detection, SpO₂ measurements, and a redesigned Fitbit app that looks more modern. Google has also added Safety Check, which lets you share your location with emergency contacts if you don’t answer after a certain amount of time. And new updates since added features like Car Crash Detection and Bicycle Fall Detection. Nice watch and comfortable on the wrist. It also drives its health and fitness features, from reliable heart rate and sleep tracking data to an advanced workout screen that shows the most important information at a glance, including heart rate zones. Battery life is unfortunately good—it will last about a day.

Mobvoi Ticwatch Pro 5 Enduro for $350: Smart watch design it is important. You should enjoy wearing it! Unfortunately, I don’t feel anything about Mobvoi’s latest watch; Enduro is just boring. That’s a shame because it’s a solid Wear OS watch that’s fast and can deliver four days of battery life on a single charge thanks to the company’s dual-display technology (it uses a low-power panel for an always-on screen, and an OLED when you start interacting with it). What is the other problem? This watch runs Wear OS 3.5, while the latest version is Wear OS 4. Mobvoi has a bad history of releasing updates to its devices in a timely manner, and I don’t expect that to change here.

Huawei Watch D2 for £350: At first glance, this smartwatch looks like a miniature Apple Watch. It’s not sold in the US, but a reason to buy it if it is is something available in your area is a well-hidden, breathable blood pressure belt. The Huawei watch D2 is the only smart watch that offers Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring (ABPM), which can take measurements over 24 hours, something important to get an accurate picture of your health because blood pressure changes throughout the day. This smartwatch is also great for fitness tracking and sleep tracking, but there’s no voice assistant unless you have a Huawei phone, and the app is lackluster and lacks clarity (you get data, but very little explanation of what it says). The Watch D2 did nothing to dispel my first impression and failed to match our picks here in many areas, but if you’ve been advised to keep a close eye on your blood pressure, it might be worth a look. –Simon Hill

Apple Watch Series 9 for $399: The Series 9 (7/10, WIRED Recommends) is a great smartwatch but avoid buying it at its MSRP. Try to wait for a sale and spend less than $300 on it. It has all the usual health and fitness features, plus more like Double Tap. (You can tap two fingers on your watch face to accept or reject calls, reply to messages, start or end timers, and more. Very useful.)

Samsung Galaxy Watch FE for $200: The Galaxy Watch FE is a good budget Wear OS smartwatch, but I think it makes more sense to buy the Galaxy Watch6 series if you’re trying not to spend too much because you can find it on sale for the same price. The 40-mm Galaxy Watch FE has a smaller, less bright screen, and sports a slower processor and smaller battery, so you can get a richer experience for less money. The health sensors are almost identical, and I got accurate results with heart rate and sleep tracking. The battery lasts about a day if not less.

Avoid These Smart Watches

Not all smartwatches are winners. Here are a few we’ve tried that aren’t worth the dough.

Montblanc Summit 3 for $1,270: This is a great (and big) smartwatch, and it runs Wear OS 3, but that doesn’t mean it’s a great value. There’s no speaker, no Google Assistant, and the durability features feel baked in. It’s not just giving all that much without a pretty face.