The best Apple Watch for you depends on what you’re looking for out of a smartwatch. Do you want an Apple Watch for fitness tracking? A watch that can mirror notifications from your iPhone? Or do you want a device that can save your life in certain emergencies?
Many Apple Watch models can do all of those things, but some do it better than others. Despite the limited visible differences between Apple’s annual refreshes, each Apple Watch generation has distinct perks that make it the best smartwatch every year. In short: The best Apple Watch always gets better.
That's the case with the latest Apple Watch Series 10, Apple Watch Ultra 2 and 2022's year's Apple Watch SE. This lineup of smartwatches has something for everyone. But which is the best Apple Watch for you? Read below to find out.
Here's a quick overview of the best Apple Watch you can buy right now based on our testing and reviews. In-depth analysis on each of the three smartwatches can be found further down this page.
The quick list
The Apple Watch Series 10 is the best smartwatch yet thanks a thinner design, bigger display and better off-angle viewing. Sleep apnea detection, a redesigned speaker system, and watchOS 11 on board make it our top choice.
The Apple Watch SE (2022) offers an excellent smartwatch value, with many of the top Apple Watch features for a fraction of the price. It even comes in an LTE option, making it a low-cost watch for safety and connectivity.
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is the most premium Apple Watch yet, offering the largest display and longest-lasting battery life. It's a rugged choice for athletes and people looking for a powerful smartwatch experience.
My name is Kate and I oversee our guides to the best smartwatches, best Android smartwatches, best Apple Watches, best Samsung watches and more. This means I usually walk around like a cyborg with multiple devices on my wrists. I've been testing wearable tech for Tom's Guide for more than 5 years, documenting my experience on the site, on our YouTube channel and on my Instagram.
The best Apple Watch you can buy today
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The best Apple Watch overall
Although you might not be able to tell at a glance, the Apple Watch Series 10 has been redesigned to make the watch 10% thinner, with nearly 10% larger displays compared to the Apple Watch Series 9. Now, instead of 41mm and 45mm sizes, shoppers can choose between 42mm and 45mm in a variety of aluminum and polished titanium. finishes.
Due to a patent dispute between Apple and Masimo, the Apple Watch Series 10 and Apple Watch Ultra 2's Blood Oxygen apps are disabled. We will publish an update when (and if) the dispute is resolved.
During testing, we found the Apple Watch 10's design changes made a significant improvement in terms of usability. From tracking workouts, to messaging friends, to navigating cities, to monitoring sleep, the Series 10 can do it all. It's especially exciting that it ships with watchOS 11, the software update that delivers a new Vitals app, the ability to translate languages on your wrist, and — finally — the option to disable your Apple Watch rings when you need a rest day.
Faster charging, speakers that play music out loud, and the Depth app (carried down from Apple Watch Ultra) on board, it'd be easier to name the things the Apple Watch doesn't do than all the things it does. That's why it's the best Apple Watch for most people, and also the best smartwatch overall.
- Read our full Apple Watch Series 10 review
The best value Apple Watch
The Apple Watch SE is kind of a hybrid device, pairing an older Apple Watch design with the Apple Watch Series 8's chipset. The $249 (AU$399) smartwatch doesn't have all the Series 8's features, but still stands out for its great fitness tracking and safety features. It also offers an LTE option, making it a good choice for those interested in trying out Family Setup.
When choosing between the Series 10 and SE your ultimate decision will be if you want to spend an extra $150 (AU$230) for a brighter display with an always-on option, an ECG monitor and skin temperature, and a bigger display. If those tools aren't deal-breakers for you, the SE is a highly capable option for iPhone users. It even gets watchOS 11, the most up-to-date Apple Watch software with low power mode, fresh new watch faces, an upgraded workout interface, a redesigned compass tool and the new Medications app.
- Read our full Apple Watch SE (2022) review
The best Apple Watch for athletes
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is the best Apple Watch to buy if you're doing any serious training. Like the original Ultra, the second version also has a third button — the Action Button, which makes pausing the watch, or lapping the watch on the move, that little bit easier with sweaty fingers, or when wearing gloves.
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 doesn’t reinvent the wheel, Apple has added features that have been available on most of the best running watches for years, but the Ultra 2 does feel like an upgrade from the Apple Watch Series 9 from a running perspective. Its 49mm screen is huge, but it's built for adventure — plus, the screen is brighter than before, up to 3,000 nits from 2,000 nits. In direct sunlight the improvement is subtle, but during testing, we could see it more clearly than the Apple Watch Series 9.
While there's not a lot of physical difference between the Apple Watch Ultra and the Apple Watch Ultra 2, under the screen, there's a big one. The Apple Watch Ultra 2 packs the S9 processor, which promises the first true power upgrade since the Apple Watch Series 6. Apple claims it's 25% more efficient, built on 5.6 billion transistors with 30% faster GPU animations and 4-core neural engines that enable machine learning twice as fast.
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 has the best battery life of any Apple Watch. Even with a brighter display, the watch gets 36 hours of battery life with normal use. With low power mode, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 gets up to 72 hours of battery, increased from 60 hours offered through the original.
In workout modes, the bigger screen allows for seven data fields, rather than six. That said, if you're looking for longer battery life, recovery metrics, or the ability to upload maps onto the watch, you're better off shopping for one of the Garmins on this list.
- Read our full Apple Watch Ultra 2 review
Best Apple Watch: features compared
| Header Cell - Column 0 | Apple Watch Series 10 | Apple Watch SE 2022 | Apple Watch Ultra 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $399 (41mm, GPS) | $249 (40mm, GPS) | $799 |
| Size(s) | 42mm, 46mm | 40mm, 44mm | 49mm |
| Weight | 30 g (42mm), 36 g (46mm) | 26 g (40mm), 33 g (44mm) | 61 g |
| Battery life | 18 hours | 18 hours | 36 hours |
| Waterproof rating | 50 meters | 50 meters | 100 meters |
| Onboard storage | 32GB | 16BG | 32GB |
How to choose the best Apple Watch for you
Choosing the best Apple Watch for you doesn’t need to be a hard decision. In most cases, it will come down to the newest Apple Watch 10 vs. Apple Watch Ultra 2. The Apple Watch SE might be a better option for first-time users, though.
No matter which you choose, you’ll benefit from the latest watchOS 11 software, meaning all three watches will have several features in common. Just be sure to review our Apple Watch guide so you know how to make the most of your smartwatch.
And, if you’re still questioning which Apple Watch is best, or whether the Apple Watch is the best smartwatch for you, take a look at our smartwatch buying guide. It includes our face-offs, which may help you determine whether a fitness tracker from Fitbit better suits your needs.
Should you get an Apple Watch with Cellular?
Select models of the Apple Watch Series 10 and Apple Watch SE (2022) support LTE service. LTE-capable models come at a $50 (AU$80) or $100 premium. The Apple Watch Ultra 2 comes with LTE by default.
It’s important to know that the cost of liberating your Apple Watch from your iPhone won’t end there. You’ll need to pay a monthly fee to your cellular provider to support your watch’s phone-free features.
We still bring our iPhones everywhere, so we haven’t felt like LTE is a must for Apple Watch users yet. That said, as the Apple Watch becomes more autonomous, there could be more scenarios in which leaving your phone behind makes sense. There’s a safety benefit to having LTE, too — if your phone dies or gets lost, your Apple Watch is able to keep you in touch. It's also helpful if you know how to use Apple Pay on Apple Watch.
