Our Favorite Smartwatches Do Much More Than Just Tell Time (2024)

Skip to main content

To revisit this article, visit My Profile, thenView saved stories.

SearchSearch
  • Podcasts
  • Video
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Events
  • WIRED Insider
  • WIRED Consulting
  • Jobs
  • Coupons

Julian Chokkattu

Gear

These WIRED-tested wearables reduce your reliance on a phone while keeping you connected.

If you buy something using links in our stories, we may earn a commission. This helps support our journalism. Learn more. Please also consider subscribing to WIRED

Featured in this article

Our Favorite Smartwatches Do Much More Than Just Tell Time (3)

Best for iPhone Owners

Apple Watch Series 9

Read more

Our Favorite Smartwatches Do Much More Than Just Tell Time (4)

Best for Samsung Owners

Samsung Galaxy Watch6 and Watch6 Classic

Read more

Our Favorite Smartwatches Do Much More Than Just Tell Time (5)

Best for Android Owners

Google Pixel Watch 2

Read more

Our Favorite Smartwatches Do Much More Than Just Tell Time (6)

Best Fitness Watch

Garmin Vivomove Trend

Read more

Show more

4

/

13

A great timepiece doesn’t just display the time of day, it can elevate your outfit and make you feel good. The best smartwatches can do even more, from tracking your workouts and measuring your heart rate to serving up notifications and access to voice assistants. While you’re wearing a connected watch, you can leave your phone in your pocket and use your wrist for simple tasks.

The Apple Watch is our favorite for iPhone owners, but Samsung’s Galaxy Watch6 and Google's Pixel Watch 2 are great wearables for anyone on Android. We also like several other options—in various styles and with different levels of smarts. Below is a roundup of the best smartwatches we’ve tested. Looking for a fitness or sleep tracker instead? We’ve got plenty more options in our Best Fitness Trackers, Best Fitbits, Best Garmin Watches, and Best Sleep Trackers guides.

Updated April 2024: We've added the OnePlus Watch 2, Withings ScanWatch 2, and Casio Calculator Watch.

Special offer for Gear readers: Get WIRED for just $5 ($25 off). This includes unlimited access to WIRED.com, full Gear coverage, and subscriber-only newsletters. Subscriptions help fund the work we do every day.

  • Our Favorite Smartwatches Do Much More Than Just Tell Time (7)

Most Popular

  • Gear

    The Best USB Microphones

    Parker Hall

  • Gear

    Google and Fitbit Made a Kids’ Smartwatch

    Adrienne So

  • Gear

    More PC Monitors Now Come With KVM Switches Built in, and I Love It

    Nena Farrell

  • Gear

    It’s Chromebook’s Turn for an AI Injection

    Julian Chokkattu

Most Popular

  • Gear

    The Best USB Microphones

    Parker Hall

  • Gear

    Google and Fitbit Made a Kids’ Smartwatch

    Adrienne So

  • Gear

    More PC Monitors Now Come With KVM Switches Built in, and I Love It

    Nena Farrell

  • Gear

    It’s Chromebook’s Turn for an AI Injection

    Julian Chokkattu

Most Popular

  • Gear

    The Best USB Microphones

    Parker Hall

  • Google and Fitbit Made a Kids’ Smartwatch

    Adrienne So

  • Gear

    More PC Monitors Now Come With KVM Switches Built in, and I Love It

    Nena Farrell

  • Gear

    It’s Chromebook’s Turn for an AI Injection

    Julian Chokkattu

Most Popular

  • Gear

    The Best USB Microphones

    Parker Hall

  • Gear

    Google and Fitbit Made a Kids’ Smartwatch

    Adrienne So

  • Gear

    More PC Monitors Now Come With KVM Switches Built in, and I Love It

    Nena Farrell

  • Gear

    It’s Chromebook’s Turn for an AI Injection

    Julian Chokkattu

Most Popular

  • Gear

    The Best USB Microphones

    Parker Hall

  • Gear

    Google and Fitbit Made a Kids’ Smartwatch

    Adrienne So

  • Gear

    More PC Monitors Now Come With KVM Switches Built in, and I Love It

    Nena Farrell

  • Gear

    It’s Chromebook’s Turn for an AI Injection

    Julian Chokkattu

Julian Chokkattu is the reviews editor at WIRED, covering personal technology and reviewing consumer products. Previously he was the mobile and wearables editor at Digital Trends, steering coverage and reviews of smartphones and smartwatches, and an intern at TechCrunch. He graduated from Rutgers University with a bachelor's degree in English... Read more

Reviews Editor

Topicsbuying guidesShoppingsmartwatchesWearablesApple WatchwatchesWear OSFitness Trackers

Read More

Google's Pixel 8A Is Coming, but Last Year’s Pixel 7A Is at Its Lowest Price Yet

If you’ve wanted to join the Google Pixel ecosystem, you’re in luck. Google’s A-Series phone is on sale alongside the Pixel Watch 2.

Louryn Strampe

Protect and Charge Your Apple Watch With Our Favorite Accessories

You finally caved and bought an Apple Watch. These are our favorite straps, screen protectors, chargers, and cases to go with it.

Adrienne So

10 Great Deals From the Discover Samsung Summer Sale

During Samsung’s seasonal sale event, you can save on Galaxy smartphones and smartwatches, Frame TVs, and more.

Louryn Strampe

These Are the Android Phones Worth Buying

Shopping for a new phone can be an ordeal. Let us take some of the pain out of it with these WIRED-tested picks and tips.

Julian Chokkattu

The Best Cheap Laptops We've Tested

We’ve tested lots of affordable Windows laptops, Chromebooks, and 2-in-1 tablets. You don’t have to spend more than $700 to get a good computer.

Scott Gilbertson

The Best Baby Carriers for Every Situation

These are the best wraps, carriers, and slings to help you bring your infant wherever you go.

Adrienne So

27 Viral TikTok Gifts That Are Actually Worth a Look

We're testing gadgets that keep showing up in our feeds. Here are the ones that deserve the hype—and would make awesome presents.

Brenda Stolyar

Xiaomi's Shape-Shifting Watch S3 Is a Solid Budget Smartwatch

With swappable bezels and plenty of stamina, Xiaomi’s barebones smartwatch is a bargain.

Simon Hill

WIRED COUPONS

Dyson promo codeExtra 20% Off Select Dyson Technology With Owner RewardsGoPro Promo CodeCapture More Savings: Up To 15% Off GoPro CamerasSamsung Promo CodeGet Up To Extra 45% Off - May Secret SaleDell Coupon Code5% Off Everything With Dell Coupon CodeVistaPrint promo codeVistaPrint Coupon Code: 20% Off Select SignageNewegg Promo CodeNewegg Coupon - 10% Off
Our Favorite Smartwatches Do Much More Than Just Tell Time (2024)

FAQs

Do smartwatches tell the time? ›

You wear a smartwatch on your wrist, just like a normal watch. But it can do loads more than just tell the time. In fact, a smartwatch is more like a tiny smartphone than a watch. It can send texts, emails and social media notifications straight to your wrist, and even give you directions to your meeting.

What are the cons of a smartwatch? ›

Limited functionality: While smartwatches have many features, they are still limited compared to what you can do with a smartphone. Cost: Smartwatches can be expensive, especially if you want one with a lot of features and a premium design.

How have smartwatches changed our lives? ›

One of the best and most apparent ways that smartwatches have changed the world is that they enable people to monitor their fitness and health more accurately. Traditional watches will tell you the time; if they're a little fancier, you can also know the date.

What are the disadvantages of using a smartwatch rather than a smartphone? ›

  • One significant concern is battery life.
  • While advancements have been made, many smartwatches still require daily charging.
  • This can be a hassle for those who are used to the longevity of traditional watches.
  • Another potential drawback is their price tag.
  • High-end smartwatches can be quite expensive.
Mar 17, 2024

Do we really need a smartwatch? ›

So, at the end of the day, if you want to track your health and fitness as well as having smart features on your wrist, a smartwatch it is. But if you don't, then save yourself some cash and just use your phone.

What's the point of smartwatches? ›

For health and fitness, it can count steps, distance, calories, heart rate, pulse rate, sleep and some even go beyond this. So when it comes to smartwatch benefits, this is a big one! While it's true that you can somewhat track your health and fitness on your phone, nothing compares to the accuracy of a smartwatch.

What is the problem of smartwatch? ›

What are some common problems with smartwatches? Weak Bluetooth connection, low battery life, app crashes or interrupted synchronization are some of the issues one can face with the smartwatch.

Do smartwatches actually work? ›

Smart watches generally struggle to accurately track metrics like blood pressure and the quality of your sleep. Step count is relatively accurate among most wearables, and can quite reliably measure how far you've run under optimal conditions.

What can damage a smartwatch? ›

Avoid excessive, sudden temperature changes and high velocity activities. Falls and shocks may weaken the structural integrity of the watch.

Do smart watches give accurate readings? ›

Smart watches generally struggle to accurately track metrics like blood pressure and the quality of your sleep. Step count is relatively accurate among most wearables, and can quite reliably measure how far you've run under optimal conditions.

Can smartwatch show time without phone? ›

Not always, although your phone needs to be on. Android Wear features such as using your smartwatch as an activity tracker, setting alarms and checking the time work without being paired with your phone.

Which watch measure time accurately? ›

A stop watch measures time accurately upto a fraction of a second. A digital watch measures time up to a fraction of second. An atomic clock measures time most precisely as its precision is 1s in 1013 s.

What can smartwatches detect? ›

Smartwatches have become increasingly popular in recent times because of their capacity to track different health indicators, including heart rate, patterns of sleep, and physical movements.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Arielle Torp

Last Updated:

Views: 5651

Rating: 4 / 5 (61 voted)

Reviews: 84% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Arielle Torp

Birthday: 1997-09-20

Address: 87313 Erdman Vista, North Dustinborough, WA 37563

Phone: +97216742823598

Job: Central Technology Officer

Hobby: Taekwondo, Macrame, Foreign language learning, Kite flying, Cooking, Skiing, Computer programming

Introduction: My name is Arielle Torp, I am a comfortable, kind, zealous, lovely, jolly, colorful, adventurous person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.