The Best Apple Watch In 2025

3 days ago

The biggest news successful Apple Watches correct now is nan upcoming merchandise of watch OS 26 — caller package that includes a Workout Buddy and support for a wrist flick motion — and nan restoration of nan blood oxygen monitoring feature. Both nan operating strategy and restored characteristic only use to nan flagship Apple Watch Series 10 and nan adventure-geared Apple Watch Ultra 2. The 3rd wearable successful nan lineup, nan budget-focused Apple Watch SE, still has its advantages, namely value and beardown fitness-tracking chops. Of course, each 3 models whitethorn beryllium replaced aft Apple’s expected iPhone 17 event successful September. But if you request thief picking nan champion Apple Watch for you correct now, this guideline tin help. We’ll locomotion you done nan specs, sensors and different features, on pinch our evaluations based connected our reviews.

Best Apple Watch successful 2025

Chip: S10 SiP | Sensors: ECG, bosom rate, temperature, compass, altimeter, accelerometer, fall/crash discovery | Display: Always‑on Retina wide-angle OLED display, max 2,000 nits brightness | Battery life: 18 hours | Case size: 42mm aliases 46mm

Read our afloat reappraisal of nan Apple Watch Series 10

After a fewer years of nan aforesaid size options for Apple's flagship wearable, nan Apple Watch Series 10 now comes pinch a bigger surface matched pinch a thinner wide design. Instead of 41 and 45mm lawsuit sizes, you tin now get nan watch successful either 42mm aliases 46mm. And, acknowledgment to a redesigned metallic backmost that integrates nan antenna into nan housing, it’s now conscionable 9.7mm thick, a afloat millimeter thinner than nan Series 9.

In her review, Engadget’s Cherlynn Low said nan caller watch was noticeably thinner and lighter, though that didn’t make a immense quality successful comfortableness betwixt nan caller type and its predecessor. The larger surface did make immoderate things clearer, specified arsenic roadworthy names successful Maps. The wide-angle OLED show besides made it easier to publication nan look erstwhile not looking straight astatine it.

The Series 10 delivers much powerful speaker output, too. Cherlynn noted that nan speakers are astir apt not thing you’ll want to trust connected for extended listening, and they decidedly activity amended successful quiet environments. But if you request to perceive a opus aliases a spot of a podcast astatine immoderate point, your watch will beryllium amended equipped to do so. Another hardware upgrade comes pinch nan summation of a extent gauge. It’s not meant for diving, arsenic nan gauge is only rated to six meters, but it could springiness you insights erstwhile snorkeling aliases swimming.

In summation to slumber tracking, nan watch now besides supports sleep apnea detection, a information that’s earnestly under-diagnosed. While it’s not intended for group who already cognize they person nan disorder, it could thief place definite breathing patterns during slumber that should beryllium checked retired by a doctor. That characteristic will besides beryllium disposable connected nan Apple Watch Series 9 pinch watchOS 11.

Battery life didn’t alteration drastically — Apple still promises an 18-hour agelong per complaint — and that comparatively short span has ever been our biggest complaint pinch nan watch. The charging speed, however, did get a boost. You should now beryllium capable to get your watch up to 80 percent successful conscionable a half an hr utilizing a fast-charge-certified charger.

Of course, nan caller features aren’t nan only logic to bargain an Apple Watch Series 10. It conscionable happens to beryllium nan champion companion you tin get for an iPhone. The watch will support you connected apical of your notifications (presenting less distractions than your phone), while nan activity search and fittingness features tin thief support you motivated, if that’s thing you’re into. It tin besides punctual you to return meds, statement your moods and log your play for rhythm search and predictions.

Ultimately, we deliberation nan Apple Watch Series 10 is simply a awesome bargain for iOS users who are either caller to Apple Watches aliases coming from a Series 8 aliases older. If you’ve sewage a Series 9, you tin astir apt hold connected an upgrade.

Pros

Thinner and lighter build
Potentially adjuvant slumber apnea detection
The champion companion for an iPhone
Useful caller h2o sports features

Cons

Still only has an 18-hour artillery life

$329 astatine Amazon

Chip: S8 SiP | Sensors: Heart rate, compass, altimeter, accelerometer, fall/crash discovery | Display: Retina display, max 1,000 nits brightness | Battery life: 18 hours | Case size: 40mm aliases 44mm

Read our afloat reappraisal of nan Apple Watch SE

Yet again, Apple didn’t travel retired pinch a caller procreation of nan Apple Watch SE erstwhile it announced nan Apple Watch 10 and different Apple devices successful September. A caller integrative type is reportedly successful nan works (and we person some ideas connected what Apple tin improve). But for now, this $250 smartwatch is Apple's fund option.

Cherlynn also reviewed nan SE erstwhile it came retired successful 2022, calling it “the champion smartwatch for nan money.” It uses nan aforesaid spot arsenic nan original Ultra and nan Series 8, and successful our reappraisal of nan caller Series 9, Cherlynn “barely noticed a quality successful performance” compared to nan older Apple Watch.

That said, location are immoderate trade-offs. You won’t get an always-on display, humor oxygen monitoring aliases a somesthesia sensor. The SE besides can’t support nan caller Double Tap characteristic and requires your telephone to beryllium adjacent for Siri requests (if you don’t person a cellular-enabled model). Materials-wise, nan SE look is covered successful Ion-X glass, which is little robust than nan sapphire crystal connected either nan stainless alloy Series 9 aliases nan Ultra 2.

But nan SE has much successful communal pinch its pricier related than not, including clang detection, bosom complaint monitoring, emergency SOS calling, and 50 meters of h2o resistance. And, of course, nan watch does each nan basics well, for illustration sharing notifications, controlling your euphony playback and mounting timers and alarms.

Though nan surface isn’t rather arsenic agleam arsenic nan pricier models, we thought it was crisp and easy to read, moreover successful agleam sunlight. The fittingness search is accurate, nan creation is lightweight and comfortable and nan processor is snappy. If you’re looking for a starter smartwatch and don’t mind nan fewer missing features, nan SE is still nan measurement to go.

Pros

Affordable price
Great wellness and fittingness tracking
Extends nan inferior of an iPhone

Cons

Lacks humor oxygen and somesthesia sensors
Doesn't support Double Tap
No always-on display

$170 astatine Target

Chip: S9 SiP | Sensors: ECG, bosom rate, temperature, compass, altimeter, accelerometer, fall/crash detection, extent gauge | Display: Always-on Retina display, max 3,000 nits brightness | Battery life: 36 hours | Case size: 49mm

Read our afloat reappraisal of nan Apple Watch Ultra

Apple announced nan Apple Watch Ultra 2 astatine nan aforesaid event arsenic nan Series 9 but, nan pursuing year, we did not get an Apple Watch Ultra 3. Instead, Apple announced a caller satin achromatic colorway created pinch a "diamond-like c beingness vapor deposition" process that you’ll sometimes find utilized connected high-end weapon blades.

Engadget’s Cherlynn Low took nan erstwhile exemplary Ultra out connected a hike to return advantage of its outdoor-specific features and nan Backtrack usability really saved her and our video shaper Brian from taking an unintended detour successful nan incorrect direction. The usability lives wrong nan Compass app and lets you group waypoints specified arsenic marking nan parking batch earlier you group out. There’s an onboard siren that’s large capable to alert passersby aliases emergency unit to your whereabouts if you should request it.

For water-based activities, nan Ultra 2 packs diving features that tin measurement h2o temperature, dive long and gauge up to 40 meters of depth. For workouts person to home, nan dual-frequency GPS gives you much meticulous way search and gait calculations. And nan action fastener tin beryllium programmed to commencement a workout, power nan stopwatch, trigger nan flashlight, group a waypoint and more. Just statement that we recovered it beautiful easy to accidentally trigger nan action fastener erstwhile trying to property nan crown, truthful it whitethorn return a small practice.

The S9 SiP spot enables Double Tap and on-device Siri processing. The surface has been bumped up to 3,000 nits and while we didn’t get to return nan caller exemplary connected a hike, nan original astatine 2,000 nits was plentifulness agleam capable successful nonstop sunlight. We for illustration really nan caller Modular Ultra watch look makes awesome usage of nan oversized surface (though that’s besides disposable connected nan original AWU.) The artillery life remains nan aforesaid astatine 36 hours, and we sewage astir 3 days of mean usage retired of nan Ultra earlier needing a recharge. The debased powerfulness mode is peculiarly impressive, squeezing retired galore other hours from a near-empty watch.

Pros

Robust build
Specialized features for outdoor activities
Large surface displays a batch of info

Cons

Expensive
Large lawsuit tin consciousness bulky connected smaller wrists

$818 astatine Amazon

What to look for successful an Apple Watch

Like each Apple products, Apple Watches will only activity pinch different devices from nan brand's ecosystem. You won't beryllium capable to brace immoderate Apple Watch to your Android phone. Note that you can brace different wearables (like a Garmin locator aliases a Fitbit band) pinch your iPhone. There are immoderate much features that are circumstantial to Apple Watches and that group each of nan 3 models isolated from 1 another.

Chips and sensors

The caller Apple Watch Series 10 has an S10 SiP (system successful a package) spot pinch a four-core Neural Engine. The Ultra 2 was updated September 2023 pinch Apple’s S9 SiP. Both chips let for on-device processing of Siri requests arsenic good arsenic dictation, translation, automatic workout discovery and nan Double Tap motion that lets you reply calls aliases extremity an siren by tapping your thumb and forefinger together twice. It besides enables faster instrumentality learning capacity for interpreting sensor data, reside nickname and performing different “thinking” tasks. The Apple Watch SE still relies connected nan S8 SiP, which was besides utilized successful nan Series 8 and nan original Ultra.

Both nan Series 10 and Ultra 2 tin measurement definite captious signs for illustration bosom rate, and some person an ECG app. Temperature sensors tin thief way ovulation, while underwater somesthesia sensors whitethorn travel successful useful while swimming and snorkeling. Both besides support fall-detection and crash-detection arsenic a information feature. All 3 models person a compass and altimeter. The Apple Watch Ultra 2 has an onboard SOS siren, arsenic good arsenic dive features for illustration a extent gauge. Water features were added to nan Apple Watch Series 10, but pinch a shallower extent standing (just six meters, arsenic compared to 40 meters connected nan Ultra).

All 3 models support adjacent section connection (NFC), nan spot that enables Apple Pay. Once you group it up utilizing nan Apple Watch app connected your iPhone, you tin salary for worldly astatine immoderate shop that accepts Apple Pay, moreover if you don't person your phone pinch you.

Blood oxygen feature

You whitethorn person heard astir a patent dispute complete humor oxygen monitoring exertion that forced Apple to extremity trading its watches for a fewer months backmost successful 2023. The institution past started trading nan watches pinch nan humor oxygen app disabled. Now nan feature is back — Apple announced successful August of 2025 that it would beryllium restoring nan characteristic to immoderate Series 9, Series 10 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 models that deficiency it. Doing truthful requires an update to iOS 18.6.1 and watchOS 11.6.1. You tin position your humor oxygen measurement results successful nan Respiratory conception of nan Health app connected your phone.

Displays and lawsuit sizes

The wide-angle OLED show connected nan Apple Watch 10 lets you spot nan always-on show from much angles. The Ultra 2 besides has an always-on display, but you’ll person to assistance your wrist to show clip aliases publication notifications connected nan SE. The SE tin scope a maximum brightness of 1,000 nits, nan Series 10 tin get arsenic agleam arsenic 2,000 and nan Ultra 2 hits 3,000 nits. Both higher-end screens tin dim to a azygous nit, making them little distracting successful nan dark.

The Apple Watch Series 10 came pinch a caller decorativeness and lawsuit worldly — a glossy anodized pitchy achromatic decorativeness connected nan aluminum exemplary and nan action for a titanium case. The Ultra 2 besides sewage a caller finish, satin black, that utilizes a PVD (physical vapor deposition) process to use nan color.

As for lawsuit sizes, nan SE is disposable successful 40 aliases 44mm. The Series 10 accrued successful size from nan anterior procreation and now has a prime of a 42 aliases 46mm case. The Ultra 2 comes successful conscionable 1 size measuring 49mm. You besides get nan opportunity to prime nan magnitude and style for watch bands. The SE and Series 10 travel successful small/medium aliases medium/large and nan Ultra 2 gives you nan prime of small, mean aliases large.

The Apple Watch Series 10 connected a wrist held successful mid-air, pinch a Series 9 held up adjacent to it.

Battery life

Since it’s nan largest wearable, nan Apple Watch Ultra 2 sports nan biggest artillery and tin past for a claimed 36 hours connected a charge. That number jumps up to 72 hours if you move connected debased powerfulness mode. Both nan Apple Watch 10 and nan SE are rated by Apple to spell for 18 hours earlier they request a sojourn to nan charger, and longer erstwhile utilizing artillery saver mode. That intends if you want to usage either of those models regularly for slumber tracking, you whitethorn request to recharge them a spot earlier bed.

Fitness and wellness features

Believe it aliases not, each 3 Apple Watches person akin fittingness locator chops. The Activity app uses 3 “rings” to support tabs connected really overmuch you’re moving successful a day: The Move ringing tracks your progressive calories; nan Exercise ringing monitors nan minutes you’ve spent walking, running, doing yoga and truthful on; and nan Stand ringing tells you really galore hours successful a time you’ve stood up and moved astir for astatine slightest 1 minute.

Different soul sensors observe those activities, for illustration nan accelerometer senses erstwhile you’re moving versus sitting still, and nan optical bosom complaint sensor judges really difficult you're moving retired and really galore calories you’ve burned. You tin group your goals for each ringing and you’ll gain badges and animations erstwhile you deed them.

The Workout app lets you commencement and way an workout session. The sensors tin moreover auto-detect erstwhile you’re moving out, tapping your wrist to propose you way nan activity. Apple Watches will merge pinch Apple’s Fitness+ subscription, displaying existent clip bosom complaint and calorie pain information connected your iPhone, iPad aliases moreover Apple TV 4K arsenic you return a class. Fitness+ besides includes audio-guided walks and runs pinch conscionable your watch and Bluetooth earbuds. All 3 models support nan Activity and Workout apps for free. The Fitness+ app besides useful pinch each Apple Watches, but costs $10 per month.

New features enabled pinch watchOS 11 see Training Load that gauges your body’s consequence to workouts complete time, which could thief athletes amended hole for events for illustration marathons. Users tin besides now skip a time (or more) from fittingness search metrics erstwhile they request to remainder aliases aren’t emotion up to nan situation of closing their rings. The caller OS besides supports offline maps, which could beryllium useful erstwhile hiking acold from cellular coverage. Upcoming features of nan adjacent operating strategy (watchOS 26) will see an AI Workout Buddy to coach you done your adjacent tally via your connected Airpods.

Siri

You tin get nan weather, commencement a workout, place a opus and dictate a matter conscionable by asking Siri. All Apple Watch models support nan Raise to Speak characteristic that bypasses nan request to opportunity “Hey Siri” and will alternatively perceive for your petition erstwhile you assistance your wrist adjacent your mouth.

Both nan Series 10 and nan Ultra 2 utilize onboard processing of Siri requests. That intends executing elemental requests for illustration starting workouts and timers are quicker, arsenic they won’t request to entree outer networks. However, requests for illustration sending texts aliases getting upwind forecasts still request to pass pinch Wi-Fi aliases cellular, truthful you’ll request to person your telephone adjacent if you person a GPS-only model.

Carbon neutral options

The Apple Watch Series 9 pinch nan aluminum lawsuit was nan company's first c neutral product. Apple defines its c neutral products arsenic those that usage "100 percent cleanable energy for manufacturing and merchandise use, 30 percent recycled aliases renewable worldly by weight and 50 percent of shipping without nan usage of aerial transportation." Combined, Apple says those changes reduced nan emissions by astir 75 percent, and nan institution will usage credits truthful dress up for nan remaining emissions.

Currently, nan Apple Watch Series 10 successful either aluminum aliases titanium pinch nan athletics loop band, braided solo loop aliases Milanese loop, and nan Apple Watch Ultra 2 pinch nan way loop aliases alpine loop bands are designated arsenic c neutral products. If you select, opportunity nan rubber Sport Band, nan c neutral standing wouldn't apply.

Price

There’s a $550 quality betwixt nan cheapest and astir costly Apple Watches. For $250 you tin get nan 40mm Apple Watch SE pinch GPS-only connectivity; adding cellular connectivity ups nan value by $50. The Apple Watch Series 10 starts astatine $399 for nan 42mm, non-cellular exemplary successful aluminum and goes arsenic precocious arsenic $749 for nan 46mm titanium lawsuit (which is only disposable pinch GPS and cellular). The Apple Watch Ultra 2 has conscionable 1 price: $799 for a titanium 49mm lawsuit pinch some GPS and cellular powerfulness — though if you want nan titanium Apple Watch Band, nan value goes up. For immoderate exemplary you pick, you'll astir apt besides want a few Apple Watch accessories, truthful you whitethorn want to facet that into your purchasing decision. Note that each models go connected sale reasonably often — but only astatine third-party realtors. You won't find galore sale's connected Apple.com, though nan tract does connection discounts erstwhile you waste and acquisition successful your aged devices.

How we tested Apple Watches

Engadget has been reviewing Apple Watches since nan first 1 came retired successful 2015. Since then, we’ve tested every subsequent model Apple has released, including nan Ultra and SE models, spending astatine slightest a fewer days aliases moreover a mates weeks pinch 1 strapped to our wrists. During that time, we run, deed nan gym, spell connected hikes and deterioration it while sleeping, each nan while gauging really it tracks various metrics, integrates pinch nan iPhone and performs each different instrumentality Apple claims its smartwatches tin do.

Since we besides reappraisal smartwatches from different companies, specified arsenic Samsung's Galaxy Watches and Google Pixels, our editors tin comparison Apple Watches not conscionable to erstwhile generations, but besides to different wearables connected nan market. Our buying guides and recommendations trust connected first-hand testing by Engadget staff.

Apple Watch comparison chart

Product	Apple Watch Series 10	Apple Watch Ultra 2	Apple Watch SE (Gen 2)
Release date	September 2024	September 2023	September 2022
Case sizes	42mm aliases 46mm	49mm	40mm aliases 44mm
Case material	Aluminum aliases titanium	Titanium	Aluminum
Display	LTPO3 OLED Always-On	LTPO2 OLED Always-On	LTPO OLED
Max brightness	2,000 nits	3,000 nits	1,000 nits
Chip	S10 SiP	S9 SiP	S8 SiP
Max artillery life	18 h./36 h. debased power	36 h./72 h. debased power	18 h.
Water resistance	50 m.	100 m.	50 m.
Featured sensors	ECG, electrical bosom rate, optical bosom rate, h2o temp, altimeter, compass, gyroscope, slumber tracking, slumber apnea, wrist temp	ECG, electrical bosom rate, optical bosom rate, h2o temp, expanded-range altimeter, compass, gyroscope, slumber tracking, slumber apnea, wrist temp	ECG, optical bosom rate, altimeter, compass, gyroscope, slumber tracking

Apple Watch FAQs

What are nan champion Apple Watch apps for fittingness tracking?

All 3 watches usage nan aforesaid Fitness and Workout apps to way your progress, and they each person sensors to way speed, cadence, region and bosom rate. But nan Apple Watch Ultra 2 and nan Apple Watch Series 10 person much sensors than nan Apple Watch SE. These see an electrical bosom complaint sensor and a extent gauge. The 2 watches besides person a humor oxygen app and an ECG app, each of which whitethorn springiness you a amended image of your wide health. The Series 10 and Ultra 2 are besides nan only models compatible pinch nan AI-powered Workout Buddy from watchOS 26 (the characteristic besides requires an AI-compatible iPhone).

Are immoderate of nan Apple Watch bid waterproof?

All 3 models are h2o resistant. But they tin each grip immersion successful water, including a swim. The Apple Watch SE and Series 10 tin grip a extent of up to 50 meters while nan Ultra 2 tin beryllium submerged up to 100 meters.