Top 6 compared
The best smartwatches for iPhone
Texts and calls on your wrist and every workout and night’s sleep tracked, with your iPhone left in your pocket.
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. It costs you nothing extra. How this works
The top 6 at a glance
A smartwatch pairs with your phone and puts its notifications, calls, music and maps on your 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 needs charging every day or so; fitness-led and simpler watches do less and go a week or more between charges.
Apple Watches work only with iPhones, and need an iPhone 11 or later. Other brands pair with an iPhone through their own app; they show notifications but can’t do everything Apple’s own watch does, such as replying to messages. The phone app is also where workouts and sleep build up over time and where most settings are changed. Android owners have a separate list: the best smartwatches for Android.
What matters
- Built-in GPS, for runs and rides without the phone.
- A speaker and mic, for taking calls on the wrist.
- 5 ATM (50 m) of water resistance or more, for swimming.
#1Apple Watch Series 11 (GPS, 46mm, Jet Black)
Over $300
This Apple Watch adds an ECG app, blood oxygen readings and a sleep score each night to a bright always-on screen, built-in GPS, Apple Pay and calls on the wrist. Only Apple’s own watch, paired with an iPhone, replies to messages and runs watch apps from the App Store, and that outweighs the Huawei’s better score.
What owners say: Owners find it smooth and quick to use and rate its value; the slim design and the heart rate tracking win praise, while battery life gets a mixed hearing.
Heads up: Apple has replaced it with the Series 12; the Series 11 is still sold new and still gets watchOS updates.
A closer look: Fifteen minutes on the charger gives up to 8 hours of use by Apple’s figures, so a quick charge while getting ready rescues a day that started low. The 46mm case has the bigger screen for reading messages, while the 42mm size sits better on smaller wrists.
- ECG and blood oxygen apps
- Replies to messages
- Runs App Store watch apps
- Nightly sleep score
- Sleep apnea notifications
Best for: Health tracking alongside an iPhone
- Works with
- iPhone only
- Battery
- Up to 24 hours
- Built-in GPS
- Yes
- Contactless payments
- Apple Pay
- Calls on the watch
- Yes
- Water resistance
- 50 m (WR50)
#2Huawei Watch FIT 4 (1.82-inch AMOLED, Black)
$150–$200
A slim, light square watch, 9.5 mm thick and 27 g without the strap, with a bright 1.82-inch AMOLED screen, built-in dual-band GPS, a barometer for hikes and climbs, and a speaker and mic for calls. It runs up to 10 days a charge, and 10 minutes on the charger gives a full day, by Huawei’s figures.
What owners say: Owners like the built-in apps that handle the everyday jobs and a battery that keeps going for days between charges; they rate the interface too, though how smoothly it pairs and syncs varies.
A closer look: Pair it through the free Huawei Health app from the App Store; as with every watch here except the Apple ones, messages show on the wrist and are answered on the phone. With the screen set to always on, Huawei puts the battery at about four days rather than ten.
- Barometer for hikes and climbs
- 9.5 mm thin, 27 g
- 1.82-inch AMOLED screen
- Free Huawei Health app
Best for: Hikers who want a light watch
- Works with
- iPhone and Android
- Battery
- Up to 240 hours (10 days)
- Built-in GPS
- Yes
- Contactless payments
- No
- Calls on the watch
- Yes
- Water resistance
- 50 m (5 ATM)
#3fixwink Smart Watch with Calls (1.83-inch, Black)
$30–$50
A big 1.83-inch square screen with calls and text alerts on the wrist, plus heart rate, blood oxygen and sleep tracking. It pairs with an iPhone, or an Android phone, through the VeryFit app and runs up to seven days between charges, an easy first smartwatch.
What owners say: Owners are thrilled with it and with the price: setup is quick, it’s simple to learn, and they rate the looks, the battery, the phone app and the accuracy of the readings.
A closer look: Rain, sweat and splashes are fine (IP67), but the maker says to keep it out of the pool, the shower and the hot tub, so swimmers need a watch made for the water. Walks and runs are mapped through the phone’s GPS, so the phone needs to come along.
- 1.83-inch HD screen
- Tracks heart rate, oxygen, sleep
- 120+ sports modes
- Pairs via the VeryFit app
Best for: Trying a smartwatch for the first time
- Works with
- iPhone and Android
- Battery
- Up to 168 hours (7 days)
- Built-in GPS
- No
- Contactless payments
- No
- Calls on the watch
- Yes
- Water resistance
- Splashes only (IP67)
#4Garmin vívoactive 6 GPS Smartwatch (42mm, Slate with Black Band)
Over $300
A week and a half between charges, built-in GPS, Garmin Pay and music storage, and it pairs with an iPhone as readily as with Android, so it suits anyone who’d rather not charge a watch every night. Garmin was founded in 1989, and its name blends those of its founders, Gary Burrell and Min Kao.
What owners say: Its looks, its fitness and lifestyle options and a battery that needs the charger roughly every ten days please owners, and it’s easy to use; opinions split on reliability, accuracy, value and how well it wears over time.
A closer look: Everything it records, from sleep scores to Body Battery and workouts, builds up in the free Garmin Connect app, so it’s worth setting up on the first day. With the screen left always on, the battery falls to about five days. Calls and messages show on the wrist, but calls are answered on the phone.
- Music storage on the watch
- 80+ sports apps
- Daily energy and sleep scores
- Smart wake alarm
Best for: Fitness and long battery
- Works with
- iPhone and Android
- Battery
- 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)
#5Apple Watch SE 3 (GPS, 40mm, Midnight)
Over $300
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 leaves out the Series 11’s ECG and blood oxygen apps.
What owners say: Owners praise the clear interface, fresh watch faces and solid fitness and health tracking, and think it good value; battery life, comfort on the wrist and phone compatibility split them.
A closer look: A quick charge while getting ready in the morning covers most of the day: Apple says 15 minutes gives up to eight hours. The 40mm case suits slimmer wrists, and the 44mm leaves more room for reading messages. Fall detection can call for help after a hard fall, a reassuring extra for older wearers.
- Fall and crash detection
- Always-on Retina display
- Daily sleep score
- Sleep apnea notifications
Best for: Older wearers and slimmer wrists
- Works with
- iPhone only
- Battery
- Up to 18 hours
- Built-in GPS
- Yes
- Contactless payments
- Apple Pay
- Calls on the watch
- Yes
- Water resistance
- 50 m (WR50)
#6Amazfit Bip Max Smart Watch (2.07-inch AMOLED, Silver)
$100–$150
Up to 20 days between charges on a big, bright 2.07-inch AMOLED screen, with built-in GPS, offline maps with turn-by-turn directions and a speaker and mic for calls. It pairs with an iPhone or an Android phone through the free Zepp app, which has no subscription.
What owners say: Owners call it a full-featured everyday watch with a battery that barely drops from one day to the next, and like the big display and the health tracking; its size suits bigger wrists best, so fit divides them.
A closer look: Before a hike or a ride somewhere new, load the map onto the watch in the Zepp app and it gives turn-by-turn directions with no signal. There’s no tap-to-pay, so cards stay in the wallet, and the large screen makes long messages easy to read at a glance.
- Offline maps, turn-by-turn directions
- 2.07-inch AMOLED screen
- No-subscription Zepp app
- 150+ sports modes
Best for: Finding your way somewhere new
- Works with
- iPhone and Android
- Battery
- Up to 480 hours (20 days)
- Built-in GPS
- Yes
- Contactless payments
- No
- Calls on the watch
- Yes
- Water resistance
- 50 m (5 ATM)
How they compare
Swipe sideways or rotate device to see all 6.
| Feature | #1Apple Watch Series 11 | #2Huawei Watch FIT 4 | #3fixwink | #4Garmin vívoactive 6 | #5Apple Watch SE 3 | #6Amazfit Bip Max |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Best value | Best budget | Longest battery | |||
| Picked Rating | 9.0 | 9.1 | 8.9 | 8.8 | 8.8 | 8.8 |
| Price | Over $300 | $150–$200 | $30–$50 | Over $300 | Over $300 | $100–$150 |
| Works with | iPhone only | iPhone and Android | iPhone and Android | iPhone and Android | iPhone only | iPhone and Android |
| Battery | Up to 24 hours | Up to 240 hours (10 days) | Up to 168 hours (7 days) | Up to 264 hours (11 days) | Up to 18 hours | Up to 480 hours (20 days) |
| Built-in GPS | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Contactless payments | Apple Pay | No | No | Garmin Pay | Apple Pay | No |
| Calls on the watch | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Water resistance | 50 m (WR50) | 50 m (5 ATM) | Splashes only (IP67) | 50 m (5 ATM) | 50 m (WR50) | 50 m (5 ATM) |
| Best for | Health tracking alongside an iPhone | Hikers who want a light watch | Trying a smartwatch for the first time | Fitness and long battery | Older wearers and slimmer wrists | Finding your way somewhere new |
| Buy now | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon |
Photos are illustrative, some computer-generated. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. It costs you nothing extra. How we pick · How this works.
