Generally speaking, recommending an Apple Watch is simple: If you use an iPhone and want a smartwatch, staying home with Apple is usually your best bet.
But there are several Apple Watches on the market right now. The introduction of the Apple Watch Series 7 in September 2021 brought Apple’s lifetime total to nine, and the company currently offers three models in stores: the Series 7, SE, and Series 3. Between these, there are multiple variants that differ in size, connectivity, design and price.
Then there are older but still updated generations that you can find at third-party retailers like Best Buy and Amazon, as well as options to buy refurbished devices. Everyone has different needs, and you may be able to find an Apple Watch that’s less expensive and better suited to your needs by going these routes.
The impending release of watchOS 9 will further complicate these decisions, and as usual, Apple is expected to launch new models in the fall. For those who want to take the step today, however, we’ve explored the market for used, new, and refurbished Apple watches and tested the current options to help you determine which one is best for you. We’ll keep this guide updated over time as new models are introduced, so whether you’re looking to upgrade from a previous model or jump aboard for the first time, let us do your research for you.
The best Apple Watch for most people
Apple Watch Series 7
Buy: Starting at $345 at Amazon, Apple, Target, Walmart
Expand / The Apple Watch Series 7 is the best smartwatch you can buy right now.
Corey Gaskin
The Apple Watch Series 7 is the best smartwatch you can buy right now. It’s the best-equipped and most supported laptop on the market, making it the truest extension of your phone available. The number of apps and integrations is unmatched, allowing you to do everything from open your garage door to check ocean tides right from your wrist. It’s not the best-equipped fitness accessory—we’d go with a Garmin smartwatch for serious athletes and outdoorsmen who want a longer battery life and deeper training features—but the Series 7 is also closing a ground here.
With packaging sensors for ECG monitoring, blood oxygen readings and heart rate, the Series 7 reaches the top level for health metrics in wearables. Throw in GPS, a compass, an always-on altimeter, built-in fall detection, 50-meter water resistance, and the option for cellular capability, and you’ve got a fitness companion you can take with you anywhere , both for tracking and security purposes. .
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Apple’s “digital crown” mechanism is still an intuitive way to navigate the watch, and there are fun case colors and plenty of band options to suit your style, including sport bands Nike, sleek metallic options, woven bands and more. month.
With the impending release of watchOS 9 this fall, the Series 7 will also have the ability to provide advanced running metrics (eg, step, cadence, pace), heart rate zones, and new multi-sport tracking modes, among other features.
The Series 7 also has the largest display of any Apple Watch, thanks to its smaller bezels and 1mm larger watch case compared to the Series 6. It’s not a huge difference, unless the larger size makes it easier a QWERTY keyboard for entering text. —but allows for larger text formats that can be a game-changer for the visually impaired.
With charging coils and a USB-C-based charger, the Series 7 is also the fastest-charging Apple Watch, going from 0 to 100 percent in just over an hour in our tests. That’s about half the time it takes to charge any other Apple Watch model. This is also the only Apple Watch that is dustproof (IP6X) and the only one that supports typing using a full QWERTY keyboard.
To be clear, the Series 7, like all Apple Watches in this guide, isn’t perfect. While Apple’s smartwatches enjoy the broadest level of compatibility with third-party apps (and accessories), you won’t find every iPhone app on the Apple Watch, not even one. And not all apps are particularly useful. (Do you really want to be able to scroll through Twitter on your wrist?) Still, there’s just about any app relevant to a wrist-based experience.
The biggest sacrifice you’ll make with any Apple Watch ownership is battery life; it only lasts a day or so. Other smartwatches, like those from Garmin and Fitbit, can last a week or more, though you won’t find the same level of app support (third-party or first-party) as with your iPhone. And yes, the Apple Watch is still iPhone-only, and that probably won’t ever change. But overall, and especially for iPhone owners, the Apple Watch is the most complete wearable platform on the market, and right now, the Series 7 is the most complete offering for most people.
Who it’s for: Those who want the latest health and fitness features or those who simply need a bigger screen Worth the upgrade for: Series 5 and later