Best Apple Watch to buy

Apple dominates the smartwatch market. An Apple Watch shifts your phone screen to your wrist, letting you read messages, track a quick run, and monitor your heart rate without constantly digging in your pocket.

While they all share the familiar square design, what's inside makes a massive difference. Processing speeds, heart rate accuracy, and price tags vary wildly across the range. Step up to a model with 5G connectivity, and you can leave your iPhone at home entirely, yet still take a call or pay for a coffee.

We do not accept freebies from Apple or any other tech brand. We buy every watch we test straight from the shops, just like you do. This complete independence ensures our lab results are brutally honest. We put the entire line-up through its paces – from the standard model to the rugged Ultra and cheaper SE – so you know exactly which model is worth your money, and which you should leave on the shelf.

You can also see how Apple Watches compare with other brands by heading to our list of the best smartwatches.

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The best Apple Watch overall

The best budget Apple Watch

The best Apple Watch for adventurers

Not found the product for you? Browse all of our Apple Watch reviews or smartwatch reviews.

Which Apple Watch should I buy?

Whichever Apple Watch you're considering, you'll be forking out more than £200 for a new one. So, deciding which one is right for you is an important decision. Apple has three ranges to choose from.

The standard Apple Watch is often the best all-rounder. You get the newest health sensors to monitor your heart rate and a battery that charges fast enough to top up while you jump in the shower.

If you want to spend less money or need a reliable tracker for a child, buy the Apple Watch SE. You miss out on the premium materials but keep the absolute essentials – like daily step counting and crash detection – for a fraction of the cost.

Hikers who spend their weekends scrambling up rock faces or scuba diving need the Apple Watch Ultra. It comes with a rugged titanium case and a battery large enough to easily survive a weekend camping trip away from the mains.

Is it worth buying an Apple Watch?

Adam Speight, Which? smartwatches expert, says:

Apple Watch models have a generous amount of high-end features beyond heart-rate monitoring and step tracking. The latest models can record your ECG to detect irregular heart rhythms, help detect sleep apnoea, and deliver comprehensive smart features you'd find on a smartphone. So, only consider buying one if you're going to make use of a lot of the features.

Also, make sure you have an Apple iPhone before buying one, since Apple Watch devices are only compatible with iPhones. This means they won't work with Android phones at all. See our Android-compatible smartwatch reviews if you have an Android smartphone for alternatives.

How much will an Apple Watch cost?

Whichever watch you go for, you'll have a number of customisation options. So the price you pay will depend on factors like size of the screen, the material of the band and casing, whether you go for a designer version and whether you want LTE/5G (also known as cellular connectivity).

The standard model in the Apple Watch range tends to start at around £400. The SE (pitched as a more affordable Apple Watch – and much cheaper than the others – but clearly still not exactly cheap) starts at around £250. The Apple Watch Ultra range, built to survive more extreme sports, is far more expensive at around £750. 

However, it's worth noting that prices of previous generation models can drop considerably once successors are released. You can also pick up second-hand versions from Apple's Refurbished store at a good discount, along with other second-hand and refurbished tech retailers.

Does the Apple Watch only work with iPhones?

Yes, you will only be able to use an Apple Watch if you have an iPhone to connect it to. Android phones are not compatible.

Is the Apple Watch waterproof?

The now-discontinued Series 2 was the first range of smartwatches from Apple to be made water-resistant, with a rating of 5ATM (so water resistant to up to 50 metres in depth for 10 minutes). Most recent Apple watches have followed suit. Apple says that the latest models are fine to wear whilst shallow swimming, but they won't be suitable for watersports or diving. However, this comes with the caveat that water-resistance levels can decrease over time. Check your strap is swimproof if you plan to take yours swimming, though.

It’s currently impossible to seal a speaker, because it needs air to produce sound, but Apple has got round this by creating a speaker that lets water in and then uses sound vibrations to eject it back out.

If you want a device that has a higher level of water resistance, consider a watch in the Apple Watch Ultra range (pictured above). It is designed for extreme sports, including water sports. It's able to track scuba dives, for example, and will show you time spent underwater, current depth, water temperature and maximum depth reached. 

How long does an Apple Watch battery last?

Battery life – previously an Achilles heel for Apple Watch models – is now much improved. It's still not the longest, and each device can vary, but you won't be tied into daily charging anymore unless you keep the GPS on consistently, which is known to drain smartwatch batteries.

Our battery testing is based on 'typical use' and aims to replicate how long the smartwatch should last you based on how you use it each day. Of the Apple watches currently on the market, the worst battery life we tested lasted just over two days, and the best lasted more than four.

To find out more about how each watch varies, read our Apple smartwatch reviews.

How to choose the best Apple Watch

We've tested a wide range of Apple watches. You can find out more about the different features they offer and how they fared in our tests in our Apple Watch reviews. 

Exciting features that you'll find on recent models include specialised heart monitoring. These watches can:

• Notify you if your heart rate is too high or low
• Detect atrial fibrillation – irregular heart rhythms. Apple is being careful not to say that it definitely will detect this, but it could do 
• Take ECG (electrocardiogram) readings, which you can share with your doctor.
• There is also hypertension notifications. The watch tracks your trends over time and sends a quiet alert if your blood pressure appears to be creeping up, prompting you to get a proper medical check.
• They can also detect if you've fallen over and call 999 on your behalf if you've been immobile for a minute. The cellular versions will do this even if you're not near your phone.

Bear in mind the cheaper SE (pictured below) may be missing some more advanced features, such as a blood-oxygen monitor, and the ability to take ECGs.

WatchOS

At the heart of every Apple Watch is watchOS, the operating system that makes it all tick. It's designed to work seamlessly and exclusively with Apple's iPhones, so if you're an Android user, this isn't the smartwatch for you.

The interface is built for touch, giving you a huge range of smart features. All the essentials are covered—you can read and reply to messages, take calls from your wrist, and manage notifications. You can also make contactless payments with Apple Pay, use Siri for voice commands, and even unlock your Mac automatically. It's a powerful system that also lets you get competitive with friends by sharing your activity rings and cheering each other on.

But the real magic lies in the AI-powered features, which require the processing power of a paired iPhone 15 Pro or newer. These include Workout Buddy, which acts like an AI personal trainer offering real-time encouragement, and Live Translation in the Messages app to break down language barriers. The update also adds a convenient "wrist flick" gesture to dismiss notifications and gives the Phone app a boost with tools like Hold Assist and Call Screening.

Design

All Apple Watches look similar, with a round-cornered rectangular face, touchscreen display and circular button on the side for scrolling through menus and notifications. As of the Series 4, the digital crown gives haptic feedback (small vibrations) for what Apple calls a more 'precise, mechanical feel'.

Apple has come a long way from the Series 1, which could only be bought with a rubber strap. Since Series 11, available straps include silicone, leather and designer versions.

Processor

Apple uses powerful processors across its entire new smartwatch lineup. Whether you opt for the standard watch, the rugged Ultra, or the affordable SE, you're getting the same powerful chip inside.

While the processor is more than capable of handling on-device Siri requests and everyday tasks, many of the headline 'Apple Intelligence' features actually lean on the processing power of a paired iPhone. By putting the same chip in every model, Apple has given the entry-level SE a serious performance boost, ensuring that no matter which watch you choose, you'll get a consistently smooth and fast experience.

Battery life and charging

Battery life remains the Apple Watch's biggest quirk. You still need to find time to charge it every day. Recent models have got a boost, with Apple claiming they last up to 24 hours on a single charge. It also sped up charging times – the Series 10 and Series 11 are stated to dash from zero to 80% battery in about 30 minutes. If you forget to charge your watch overnight, dropping it on the charger while you shower and eat breakfast gives you enough power to get through the workday. 

Built-in GPS

Built-in GPS lets you track your routes without relying on your smartphone, so you can leave your mobile at home when heading out for a run, for instance. It’s available on models from the Series 3 onwards.

Or, for a much cheaper alternative, head to our guide to buying one of the best cheap smartwatches.