8 of Today’s Best Smartwatches, for Everything From Timing to Tracking

If you’re the type of person who wants absolute top-of-the-line tech that will integrate with your other Apple devices, then the updated Apple Watch Ultra 3 is the smartwatch you seek. The Ultra 3 comes out of the gate swinging with a sleeker design and the biggest display screen (49 millimeters) of any Apple Watch. With Apple’s most advanced display technology, the Ultra 3 is now 24 percent thinner while being brighter and easier to read — even in blazing sunshine.

The other big improvement is the battery life, which lasts up to 42 hours (72 hours in Low Power Mode). This was a limitation of earlier Ultra versions, but now users can potentially go days between charges.

Another huge upgrade is the ability to connect to not just 5G networks (a cellular plan is required in order to text and receive calls) but also built-in satellite communication capabilities. So, if you’re out of cellular range, you can still send emergency SOS notifications, text messages, and location information when in the line of sight of a satellite (a big boost for off-grid safety). It also includes crash and fall detection and will send emergency messages if it senses you’ve experienced either one.

The Ultra 3 has all of the advanced Apple health tracking features, including electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring, sleep tracking, temperature sensing, hypertension alerts, and SpO2 blood-oxygen measurements, which had previously been removed due to a patent dispute. Fitness enthusiasts will appreciate the Workout Buddy app (an AI-powered personal fitness coach), the customizable Action button that can be used for precision starts, and the automatic swim stroke detection and SWOLF score (a stroke count combined with the time it takes to swim one length of the pool). It’s also water-resistant up to 100 meters.

For the “Android all the way” crowd, the Google Pixel Watch 4 will give you the best smartwatch experience for your operating system. Thanks to an upgraded domed display, the Pixel Watch 4 has a 10 percent larger touchscreen than the Google Pixel Watch 3, with an edgeless appearance that’s easier to see, even in direct sunlight, because its screen now emits 3,000 nits (a measure of screen brightness).

The Pixel Watch 4 also has a 25 percent improved battery life, with the 41 millimeter display topping at 30 hours (48 hours in Battery Save mode) and the slightly larger 44 millimeter option extending all the way to 40 hours (72 hours in Battery Save mode). Plus, the Quick Charge Dock powers up the Pixel Watch 4 to 50 percent charged in just 15 minutes, 25 percent faster than before.

Not only will it monitor your vitals via the health metrics dashboard and track your sleep patterns — it also recognizes more than 50 physical activities with a robust fitness profile that even includes pickleball. And if you forget to start the tracker at the beginning of a workout, the Pixel Watch 4 will use AI to automatically detect and classify your activity. It’s also water-resistant up to 50 meters.

However, access to the personal AI health coach requires a paid subscription after the six-month free trial. For the accident-prone, it’s good to note that the Pixel Watch 4 is the first in the series to be fully repairable, allowing users to replace the screen or battery without having to swap out the entire watch if something breaks. Finally, to speak to Gemini, you can just lift your wrist (“raise-to-talk”) and ask a question, and in case of an emergency, it can even connect the wearer to a satellite.

The Galaxy Watch 8 (which debuted in summer 2025) is the “starter” watch in Samsung’s current lineup. The Galaxy Watch 8 is thinner and lighter than previous iterations and now includes a 3,000 nit display — meaning it’s markedly brighter. The redesign also includes watchband slots instead of prongs, which Samsung says allows the sensors to hug the skin better, providing more accurate health data. It’s worth noting that the screen is slightly raised above the bezel, which concerns some users to the point that many recommend purchasing an additional screen protector to prevent damage. 

It offers a host of tracking features, thanks to Samsung’s BioActive sensor, which allows it to track all the usual health and fitness metrics like heart rate and daily steps, in addition to advanced features like blood oxygen and antioxidant levels. It uses Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis to measure body-composition stats like body fat percentage, fat mass, and skeletal weight. Thanks to the built-in Google Gemini and Galaxy AI features, the Watch 8 now includes AI running and sleep coaches.

On the downside, the Galaxy Watch 8 still gets mixed reviews for its battery life. Though the company says it can last up to 40 hours, that cuts to 30 hours if a user activates the Always On Display feature. Most users say they have to charge it every day.

For people who are interested in a smartwatch but don’t yet want to invest beaucoup bucks, the CMF Watch 3 Pro is a banner budget option. “This watch has a lot of features at an inexpensive price point,” says Dr. Brewer. After a workout, it will send an AI-powered performance summary with recovery suggestions. “This is a great option for someone who is just starting to exercise or make fitness-related goals, since reminders and nudges from a smartwatch like this can help you create habits and learn more about physical activity,” she adds.

The CMF Watch 3 Pro also incorporates health-tracking features like blood oxygen (SpO2), heart rate, sleep detection, and women’s physiological health records. This version now offers a daily Active Score that helps you understand the collected data as it relates to your overall well-being. When it comes to battery life, this watch knocks it out of the park: It can last up to 13 days on a single 99-minute charge, or 60 days in Power Saver Mode, though heavy use may cut it down to four or five days.

Though the Watch 3 Pro only has three style options (orange, light gray, or gray), and a one-size-fits-all 1.43-inch (36 millimeter) display screen housed in a 47 millimeter case, it does have more than 120 watch face options, so users can still personalize it that way. However, the screen display only reaches 650 nits of brightness, and the watch is only water-resistant to 3.6 feet for 30 minutes, max.

When it comes to hardcore training (or even just consistent fitness planning), the Garmin Venu 4 has everything both professional athletes and weekend warriors could need or want. With more than 80 sport-specific apps, downloadable workouts, and an AI-powered Garmin Coach (from which users can select Fitness, Run, Triathlon, or Cycling), it’s like having an athletic trainer following you around on your wrist. Also new with the Venu 4, the Garmin Fitness Coach can create workout plans for users featuring 25 different types of workouts — ideal for cross-training athletes who balance outdoor activities with a variety of indoor and gym-based workouts.

A unique feature is the wheelchair mode, which allows wheelchair users to partake in a more personalized health and fitness experience. The Venu 4 also introduces other new accessibility features, like color filters for colorblind athletes and a “spoken” watch face for the visually impaired.

As far as health tracking, it covers all the bases and then some: Not only does it have heart rate, ECG, Pulse Ox (oxygen saturation), and sleep tracking (including nap detection) — it also has a Body Battery energy monitoring feature and offers Fitness Age estimates. Another fun new metric is Lifestyle Logging, where users can record things like when they’ve had a few drinks or too much coffee — this allows the Garmin algorithm to note how alcohol or caffeine may affect a person’s performance and health measurements.

On a tech level, the recently debuted Venu 4 sports substantial spec upgrades from the Venu 3, including a built-in LED flashlight as well as a brighter, adjustable screen. The battery life is strong, and it can be stretched to 10 days in smartwatch mode, though that cuts to three days if Always On Display is left active. Better integrated GPS accuracy will also help keep users on the right track — literally and physically.

Not only does the Apple Watch Series 11 include ECG, heart and respiratory rate, cycle tracking, wrist temperature, sleep apnea notifications, blood oxygen sensors, and more, it also has new health features like hypertension alerts — which can warn users if signs of chronic high blood pressure (hypertension) are detected. “This is massive for older populations and anyone with a heart condition they might not know about,” says Brewer. Thanks to its Liquid Glass display, the screen is crisp, bright, and thinner than earlier Apple watches.

The Series 11 has also added a sleep score that helps people easily understand the quality of their sleep as it relates to a variety of tracked sleep metrics, including duration, bedtime consistency, how often a person wakes up, and how much time is spent in each sleep stage. And because the Series 11 now has a 24-hour battery life and quick-charge features, it’s easier for users to actually keep their Apple Watch on overnight. 

Curious how your z’s (or lack thereof) are affecting your daily life? Then getting a smartwatch with a strong sleep tracking game like the Polar Ignite 3 may help illuminate your bedtime habits. “When patients come to my sleep clinic armed with their wearable data, I like a well-designed app that allows a rapid longitudinal review of the trends,” says Brandon R. Peters, MD, a board-certified neurologist and sleep medicine physician at Virginia Mason Franciscan Health in Seattle. “Truly innovative wearables will provide personalized guidance to improve sleep.”

Enter the Polar Ignite 3, which includes just the kind of insight and coaching that sleep experts like Dr. Peters love. This smartwatch takes sleepy time seriously by recording multiple metrics around sleep duration and quality. Not only does it include Sleep Plus Stages sleep tracking, which shows how long a person spends overnight in each sleep stage (light, REM, and deep sleep) — it then uses that information to assign a sleep score by comparing an individual’s numbers to current sleep science indicators of a good night’s sleep.

From there, the Polar SleepWise metric will illustrate how a user’s recent sleep boosts their daytime alertness level and readiness to perform, while the Nightly Recharge recovery measurement calculates how well the body recovers from training and stress.

Knowing these insights can help you learn how the effects of your sleep habits accumulate over time, and how they can improve your snoozable hours. This watch will also make personalized suggestions about what bedtime works best for optimal rest. For people who struggle to fall asleep, the Polar Ignite 3 even includes Serene guided breathing exercises to help relax the body and calm the mind. The Ignite 3 is comfortable and lightweight (only 35 grams), which makes it less obtrusive while wearing it to bed.

When you’re not snoozing, Polar Ignite 3 also offers 150 activities for fitness tracking, and it’s compatible with more than 70 external apps, including Strava and Relive. Additionally, it includes solid optical heart rate tracking with its Precision Prime light wavelength sensor. And it includes advanced GPS with multiple satellite support, so users should have good connectivity whether they stay in bed or take it outside. A bright touchscreen makes it easy to see in the dark.

Ready to take it off-road? The rugged Amazfit T-Rex 3 Pro may just be the perfect companion for your next outdoor adventure. This military-grade smartwatch is built tough with premium-grade materials like titanium for the bezel and buttons, and a scratch-resistant sapphire glass face. It’s a big watch, with 44 and 48 millimeter case options, with similarly large (1.23 and 1.5 inches respectively) displays. Thanks to that size and a brightness upgrade to 3,000 nits, this is a screen you can easily see while hiking, cycling, skiing, diving, or whatever combo of those activities you can imagine — with 180-plus workout modes, there are endless options.

Thanks to GPS with support from a six-satellite system, the T-Rex 3 Pro delivers a reliable connection even in more remote locations. It offers offline maps, route planning, and points of interest searches, — though it gets its mapping data from OpenStreetMap, which is created by everyday people (think crowd-sourcing for maps), so occasionally the info might take you off course.

The battery life is extensive, lasting anywhere from 17 to 25 days, depending on the size of the watch, though that number shortens with heavy use. T-Rex 3 Pro comes with the free Zepp app that shows how long it’s been since the last charge, so you won’t forget to give it more juice when needed. The T-Rex 3 Pro also has a two-color flashlight with a power boost built into it — not in the software but in the actual frame.

For health metrics, the BioSensor tracker built into the T-Rex 3 Pro gives a wide range of readings from heart rate to skin temperature to stress level. It also gives “high altitude” prompts to remind users to check their blood-oxygen saturation when at peak heights. This watch can handle extremes, including temperatures ranging from -30 degrees C (-22 degrees F) to 70 degrees C (158 degrees F). It’s also water-resistant to 100 meters and to 45 meters for free diving and scuba.

Though some users say this watch is a little rough around the edges, compared with the more well-known smartwatch brands, the T-Rex 3 Pro has firmly put itself on the map for outdoor and adventure enthusiasts because it actually goes the distance.