Top 5 compared
The best smartwatches for iPhone
Your iPhone’s messages on your wrist, with every walk, workout and night’s sleep counted.
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The top 5 at a glance
A smartwatch pairs with a phone and brings its notifications, calls, music and maps to the wrist, while it tracks steps, sleep, heart rate and workouts in the background. The Apple Watch is the app-rich kind, with a bright screen that wants charging every day or so; fitness-led watches from other makers do less on the wrist and run a week or more between charges.
Apple Watches pair only with iPhones, and need an iPhone 11 or later. Other makers’ watches connect through their own free app and work with Android phones too, though some keep a few features, such as quick replies to texts, for Android. Android owners have a list of their own: the best smartwatches for Android.
What matters
- Battery life that suits how often you’ll charge it.
- Built-in GPS, to map runs and walks without the phone.
- 50 m (5 ATM) of water resistance, for swimming.
#1Apple Watch Series 11 (GPS, 42mm, Space Grey, Black Sport Band)
Over £300
Answers calls and pays with Apple Pay from the wrist, maps runs on its own GPS and shows a daily sleep score on a bright always-on screen, with up to 24 hours between charges. It’s thin and light enough to wear in bed.
What owners say: Owners find it easy to set up and use, rate its heart-rate tracking for accuracy, and like how quickly it charges and how long it runs; apps work smoothly on it too.
Heads up: Apple has since brought out the Series 12; this model is still sold new.
A closer look: Fifteen minutes on the charger gives up to eight hours of normal use, by Apple’s figures, so a quick top-up while getting ready rescues a day that started low. The 42mm case suits most wrists, and the 46mm version has more screen for reading messages.
- Always-on bright screen
- Daily sleep score
- Fall and crash detection
- Thin enough for bed
Best for: Day and night wear with an iPhone
- Works with
- iPhone only
- Battery (maker’s ‘up to’ figure)
- Up to 24 hours
- Built-in GPS
- Yes
- Contactless payments
- Apple Pay
- Calls on the watch
- Yes
- Water resistance
- 50 m (WR50)
#2Garmin vívoactive 6 GPS Smartwatch (42mm, Black)
£269.99 RRP
A week and a half between charges, built-in GPS, Garmin Pay and music stored on the watch, and it pairs with an iPhone as readily as with Android. Garmin was founded in 1989, and its name blends those of its founders, Gary Burrell and Min Kao.
What owners say: Owners find it simple to use and comfortable, with a battery that rarely needs a thought; some doubt its heart-rate readings, and a few report it wearing out sooner than they’d hoped.
A closer look: Sleep scores, Body Battery and every workout build up in the free Garmin Connect app on the iPhone. Calls and messages show on the wrist, but with no speaker or microphone the call itself is taken on the phone, and quick text replies work only with Android.
- Stores music on the watch
- 80+ sports apps
- Sleep scores and workout history
Best for: Phone-free runs with music
- Works with
- iPhone and Android
- Battery (maker’s ‘up to’ figure)
- Up to 264 hours (11 days)
- Built-in GPS
- Yes
- Contactless payments
- Garmin Pay
- Calls on the watch
- No
- Water resistance
- 50 m (5 ATM)
#3Garmin Venu 4 GPS Smartwatch (45mm, Black)
Over £300
Garmin’s Venu 4: a bright AMOLED screen in a stainless steel bezel, a speaker and mic for calls on the wrist, Garmin Pay and up to 12 days between charges. The torch built into the side earns its keep on dark evening walks.
What owners say: Owners rate the sharp, bright screen, easy to read in any light, and the balance of fitness tracking and everyday smart features; they find its data accurate and say it gets on well with an iPhone.
A closer look: Set it up in the free Garmin Connect app, where sleep, workouts and Body Battery sit side by side, and add a bank card to Garmin Pay there before heading out, so the first tap at a till just works. A 41mm version suits slimmer wrists.
- Built-in torch
- Stainless steel bezel
- AMOLED screen
- Sleep score and coaching
- 41mm version for slimmer wrists
Best for: Calls, payments and long battery
- Works with
- iPhone and Android
- Battery (maker’s ‘up to’ figure)
- Up to 288 hours (12 days)
- Built-in GPS
- Yes
- Contactless payments
- Garmin Pay
- Calls on the watch
- Yes
- Water resistance
- 50 m (5 ATM)
#4Apple Watch SE 3 (GPS, 40mm, Midnight)
£219 RRP
Apple’s SE watch now has an always-on screen and a daily sleep score, and it covers the essentials on the wrist: messages, calls, Apple Pay and workouts tracked with its own GPS. It runs 18 hours between charges rather than the Series 11’s 24.
What owners say: Owners say it does everything they need, looks good and is easy to use, and the screen size goes down well; battery life divides them, with some finding it doesn’t last as long as promised.
A closer look: The 40mm case suits slimmer wrists, while the 44mm leaves more room for reading messages. Charging it while showering and dressing keeps it on the wrist overnight for the sleep score, and fall detection can call for help after a hard fall, a reassuring extra for older wearers.
- Always-on screen
- Daily sleep score
- Fall and crash detection
- 44mm size also sold
Best for: Slimmer wrists and everyday essentials
- Works with
- iPhone only
- Battery (maker’s ‘up to’ figure)
- Up to 18 hours
- Built-in GPS
- Yes
- Contactless payments
- Apple Pay
- Calls on the watch
- Yes
- Water resistance
- 50 m (WR50)
#5aeac AR-01 Smart Watch with Calls (Black)
£50–£75
A small round AMOLED face that passes for an ordinary watch, with a speaker and mic for taking calls, step, heart-rate and sleep tracking, and up to a week between charges, all for far less than an Apple Watch.
What owners say: Owners find it quick to set up, comfortable and well made, with a battery that runs past a week; it pairs with an iPhone without fuss and covers every sport they want to log.
A closer look: There’s no GPS inside, so walks and runs are mapped through the phone, which needs to come along. Notifications, sleep history and step counts all live in the free VeryFit app, where the watch is set up, and a two-hour charge gives up to seven days.
- Round AMOLED screen
- Passes for an ordinary watch
- 100+ sports modes
- Tracks steps, heart rate, sleep
Best for: A smartwatch that looks ordinary
- Works with
- iPhone and Android
- Battery (maker’s ‘up to’ figure)
- Up to 168 hours (7 days)
- Built-in GPS
- No
- Contactless payments
- No
- Calls on the watch
- Yes
- Water resistance
- 30 m (3 ATM)
How they compare
Swipe sideways or rotate device to see all 5.
| Feature | #1Apple Watch Series 11 | #2Garmin vívoactive 6 | #3Garmin Venu 4 | #4Apple Watch SE 3 | #5aeac AR-01 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Best budget | ||||
| Picked Rating | 9.3 | 9.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 | 8.9 |
| Price | Over £300 | £269.99 RRP | Over £300 | £219 RRP | £50–£75 |
| Works with | iPhone only | iPhone and Android | iPhone and Android | iPhone only | iPhone and Android |
| Battery (maker’s ‘up to’ figure) | Up to 24 hours | Up to 264 hours (11 days) | Up to 288 hours (12 days) | Up to 18 hours | Up to 168 hours (7 days) |
| Built-in GPS | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Contactless payments | Apple Pay | Garmin Pay | Garmin Pay | Apple Pay | No |
| Calls on the watch | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Water resistance | 50 m (WR50) | 50 m (5 ATM) | 50 m (5 ATM) | 50 m (WR50) | 30 m (3 ATM) |
| Best for | Day and night wear with an iPhone | Phone-free runs with music | Calls, payments and long battery | Slimmer wrists and everyday essentials | A smartwatch that looks ordinary |
| Buy now | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon |
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