The best Apple Watches are designed to be seamless companions for your iPhone, mirroring notifications, tracking your activity and sleep and keeping tabs on your health. The first model was launched more than a decade ago, and Apple has kept improving the watch to the point where it's easily one of the best smartwatches.
I used to recommend buying an older model of the Apple Watch — recent models get software updates and have similar hardware — but this year is an exception, as I think the best Apple Watch right now is the Series 12. It has a more detailed heart rate sensor and exclusive health features, making it a step up from the 11.
Though while Apple would probably love for you to buy the latest release, I think the cheaper Series 11 is still a great option if health features aren't your priority. If you want to keep the cost down more, you should check out the 2025 Apple Watch SE 3. It's the best budget Apple Watch and has most of the core smart, health and fitness features.
The best Apple Watch models you can buy right now
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Best Apple Watch overall
Sometimes, the latest version of a product isn't the best one. However, after testing it out, we can confirm that this is not the case for the Apple Watch Series 12. In fact, we'd say that it's the best Apple Watch on the market for most people.
The latest in the Apple Watch line comes with a whole bunch of upgrades over the Apple Watch Series 11. It's got an improved heart rate sensor as well as a new Readiness score that helps you understand when to rest. This feature has been seen in other brands of fitness trackers and smartwatches, but never in Apple products until now.
With these new features come new, redesigned sensors, with a "32-petal" design compared to the two-petal design seen in older Apple Watch models.
Apple has also improved the green LED lights that measure your heart rate by shining light into the skin. Not only are they bigger and more powerful, but they no longer glare green, meaning you won't be disrupted by that eerie glow at night anymore.
On the less-fitness-focused side, Apple has introduced new Audio Intelligence features, including Live Rewind and Siri Recap.
Live Rewind allows you to double-click on the Digital Crown of your Apple Watch and get a 15-second recap of what was just said around you, while Siri Recap records ambient audio every 15 minutes to create an itemized summary of your day. This is definitely a trickier sell, and something we were unable to try out during our testing. Only time will tell how much users actually use these features, and they have been a little controversial already, despite Apple emphasising privacy during the launch of these features.
However, if you're not enthused about these AI features, or the improved health and tracking, then the Apple Watch 12 probably isn't worth the investment for you.
Additionally, it would be remiss of me to mention the fact that with the Apple Watch 12, you only get 24 hours of battery life (compared to the 50 hours you get with the Apple Watch Ultra 4), and the fact that it functionally looks the exact same as the Apple Watch 11.
Still, if you're excited about the prospect of an Apple Watch having a readiness feature, improved health and fitness tracking, or increased AI functionality, then the Apple Watch 12 is right for you.
- Read our full Apple Watch Series 12 review
Best budget Apple Watch
Unlike with the flagship watch, Apple only releases a new version of it's more affordable model every few years, leading to a three-year gap between the Apple Watch SE (2022) and it's successor, the Apple Watch SE 3. And this newer version has more sensors, an improved processor and the most recent software and features.
So this time, I'm not going to suggest buying the older one, because the Watch SE 3 is a fantastic value option in its own right, bringing much of what we loved about the Series 10 into a cheaper watch. In fact, unless you need (or want) some of the Series' health-focused features, I'd be tempted to recommend this watch above all others.
The SE 3 uses the same S10 processor as the Series 10 and Series 11, runs watchOS 26 and lasts up to 18 hours between charges. It is one millimeter thicker than the Series 10, but it's not especially noticeable. If you spend a lot of time outside you may notice that the display is not as bright, and that can make it tricky to see in direct sunlight.
The biggest difference between the SE 3 and Series 10/11 are the health features. The SE 3 uses Apple's second-gen optical heart rate sensor, last found on the Apple Watch Series 5 back in 2019. Using older hardware keeps the price down, but it also means that the more complex health features can be locked to the more expensive watches.
So the SE 3 doesn't support ECG readings for keeping tags on your heart health, blood oxygen measurements, watchOS 26's hypertension alerts or sleep apnea monitoring. The second-gen sensor does mean it can track your heart rate, including while working out, and combine that with other data for cycle tracking.
Those features are advisory-only, so they can't diagnose conditions, just suggest when you should discuss them with your doctor. If you think you'd find those alerts useful, then you'll want the Apple Watch Series 10 or Ultra 3. For everyone else, you can save a lot of money for almost the same experience with the incredible value SE 3.
- Read our full Apple Watch SE 3 review
Best Apple Watch for battery life
If you're looking for an Apple Watch that can handle all your outdoor adventures, the Apple Watch Ultra 4 is a great choice.
It has a redesigned health sensor system for improved continuous heart rate and heart rate variability tracking, as well as featuring new health metrics like a daily Readiness Score and Health Age, to help you train smarter and see how your day-to-day life impacts your health and fitness.
Another impressive new feature is its 50 hours of battery life, as well as its faster, more modern processor.
It also has the same new Audio Intelligence features as the Apple Watch Series 12, including Live Rewind and Siri Recap. Live Rewind gives you a summary of what was said around you in the last 15 seconds, while Siri Recap gives you an itemized summary of everything that happened in your day. These features are not without controversy, however, although Apple has highlighted their privacy during their launch.
One thing to keep in mind is the fact that it's pretty bulky, so if you have smaller wrists, it might feel pretty clunky or heavy to wear. Additionally, while there have been a number of upgrades between the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and the Apple Watch Ultra 4, the overall design and display are the same as last year's model.
There's also the price. While it has the same starting price as the Apple Watch Ultra 3 ($799), this is a pretty decent chunk to be spending on a watch. So, if you already have the Ultra 3, I'm not saying to toss it to the side, but if you want longer battery life, or you’re intrigued by the Audio Intelligence features, this is a watch worth buying.
The Apple Watch Ultra 4 is extremely durable, has the best battery life we've seen on an Apple Watch yet, as well as native recovery metrics long requested by serious athletes, making it Apple’s most competitive endurance wearable to date.
- Read our full Apple Watch Ultra 4 review
Also consider
How we test the best Apple watches
We've been testing smartwatches for more than a decade, and even reviewed the first Apple Watch back in 2015. As the watches have changed, so have our testing methods, but the core has stayed the same; we wear them.
Often we get our first hands-on time with the new Apple watches each year at the Apple Event in September. This gives us a sense of what the watches feel like, how the company has changed the bands, and the types of materials used in the design.
We give our first take during or just after the event, and then spend the next week (at least) with the watches. Since none of them last more than a few days between charges, this gives us plenty of time to see how the battery holds up in the real world.
Once the watch is paired to our iPhone, we try out the smart features, existing and new. We check to see if the performance of things like notifications, call handling and third-party apps is different (hopefully improved) compared to older models.
Since the Apple Watch Series 6, the company has turned the watch from an extension of your phone to a fully-fledged health and fitness tracker. So that's where we put a lot of our time too, testing out the workout features and health notifications.
Some of most significant features, like irregular heart beat notifications, hypertension and sleep apnea alerts and crash detection aren't things we can practically test. So we can't verify that these work every time as intended.
Of course, health features are regulated by the FDA, so you can have some reassurance that those will function as advertised, but we can't confirm that. Though, sometimes a health problem comes along when you're reviewing a watch.
One of our writers had a heart issue while testing a Garmin watch, which promoted her to go to hospital for investigations. It's rare, but if this happens, we'll always talk about it, so you know how the feature works in the real world.
How to choose the best Apple Watch
If you're trying to decide between Apple Watch models, it's because you want a smartwatch for your iPhone that closely integrates with Apple's devices and services. The company keeps the range pretty slim, with certain models designed for specific use cases or prices.
The flagship device is always part of the Series range. The most recent is the Series 11, although it's nearly identical to the Series 10, which is why I currently recommend the older model. But it's the best all-round and most versatile Apple Watch.
It has the health-tracking features you don't find on the budget SE 3, but is lighter and smaller than the adventure-focused Ultra 3. All three have similar smartwatch features, though the Ultra 3 has improved 5G connectivity if you choose the cellular variant.
So the main differences between them generally come down to size, health features, battery life and brightness. The Ultra 3 is brightest, followed by the Series 10/11 and then the SE 3. If you're outside in sunshine a lot, the SE 3 is a tricky choice.
The Series 10/11 and Ultra 3 all have Apple's health-focused features like an ECG, blood oxygen monitoring, hypertension alerts and sleep apnea warnings. The SE 3 has an older heart rate sensor, so doesn't have these features.
If you need the longest-lasting Apple Watch, that'd be the Ultra 3, which almost doubles the battery of the others. The compromise is that it's quite a lot bigger and twice as heavy as the Series 10.
While the Apple Watch is incredibly popular, and a fantastic choice if you have an iPhone, it's not your only option. Many of the best smartwatches work with iPhones too, so if none of the models quite hit the mark, you do have other choices.
What is watchOS 26?
Apple's smartwatches run watchOS, a customized operating system designed for the wrist-worn wearable, just like the company has iOS for iPhones, iPadOS for iPads and macOS for Mac computers and laptops.
Each year, the company releases a refreshed version of each platform. The newest hardware will launch with the latest software, and several generations of older devices are often eligible to upgrade to the newest version.
The Apple Watch Series 10 launched with watchOS 11 in 2024, while the Series 11, SE 3 and Ultra 3 all shipped with watchOS 26. Despite the naming, Apple didn't release 15 editions of watchOS in a year, but changed naming conventions in 2025.
The aim was so align software numbers with the year they'll be primarily used in. So watchOS came out in late 2025, and most of its useful life would be in 2026, so it was called watchOS 26. But it wasn't just newer devices that got this version.
Almost as soon as the 2025 watches were available to buy, anyone with an Apple Watch back to the Series 6 (released in 2020) could upgrade to watchOS 26 and get access to the Liquid Glass design overhaul and a range of new features.
Generally, the latest version of watchOS brings the same experience to all watches. The only exception is if a new feature has a particular hardware requirement, like we saw with the Apple Watch SE 3, which has an older heart rate sensor.
So although it ran watchOS 26 at launch, you can't get health-focused features like the ECG app or blood oxygen readings on the watch. The SE 3 is pretty much the only outlier though, as all watches (except the SE (2022)) launched since 2020 have the compatible third-gen sensor.
Apple launches new watches every September, and the update cycle starts again with older watches gaining access to the latest software. This year, the company will officially launch watchOS 27, but only for six models; the Series 9 and above.
