8 Best Smartwatches (2026): Apple, Google, and Hybrid Watches

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

Like many consumer gadgets today, smartwatches have gotten pricier, driven by several factors, including rising component costs and supply chain pressures. That said, the Apple Watch Series 11 remains my favorite for iPhone owners, but Google’s Pixel Watch 4 is the best smartwatch for Android users. I also like several other options—in various styles and with different levels of smarts.

Below is a roundup of the best smartwatches I’ve tested. Looking for a fitness tracker or smart ring instead? There's plenty more in our Best Fitness Trackers, Best Smart Rings, and Best Cheap Watches guides.

Updated July 2026: We've refined our recommendations and removed discontinued products; added an FAQ section and smartwatch comparison table; and updated product information, prices, and links.

Compare Top 8 Smartwatches

| Product | Case Size(s) | Compatibility | Connectivity | Price | |---|---|---|---|---| Apple Watch Series 11 | 42 mm or 46 mm | iOS | Cellular and Bluetooth/Wi-Fi options | $399 | Google Pixel Watch 4 | 41 mm or 45 mm | Android | Cellular and Bluetooth/Wi-Fi options | $400 | Samsung Galaxy Watch8 and Watch8 Classic | 40 mm or 44 mm; Classic is 46 mm | Android | Cellular and Bluetooth/Wi-Fi options | $380 | Garmin Vivoactive 6 | 42 mm | iOS and Android | Bluetooth/Wi-Fi | $300 | Apple Watch SE 3 | 40 mm or 44 mm | iOS | Cellular and Bluetooth/Wi-Fi options | $249 | Apple Watch Ultra 3 | 49 mm | iOS | Cellular and Bluetooth/Wi-Fi options | $799 | Nothing CMF Watch 3 Pro | 47 mm | iOS and Android | Bluetooth | $79 | Fitbit Ace LTE | 40 mm | iOS and Android | Cellular plan required, Bluetooth/Wi-Fi | $180 |

More Smartwatches to Consider

The number of smartwatches on the market is staggering. Here are a few other options we like.

Casio Pro Trek PRG-340B for $220: I enjoyed wearing this Casio watch—designed for the outdoors—in decidedly non-outdoor conditions for several months. From the green case to the plant-derived Castlon green strap, it looks smart and works with various outfits, even for city slickers. I largely relied on the timekeeping (in several time zones) and the stopwatch during workouts, but you can also monitor barometric pressure, altitude, and temperature, plus check the compass to get your bearings. The LCD is easy to read, and I like the auto LED function that lights up the screen when you tilt the watch. Best of all, this is a Tough Solar watch, so you won't have to bother with a charging cable. It doesn't do heart rate and notifications, but the small feature set makes this Casio useful and slightly smarter than your average timepiece. —Julian Chokkattu

Casio CA53W-1CR Calculator Watch for $40: It's a calculator on a watch. The buttons might be tiny, but you can calculate how much your tip will be when grabbing the bill at the restaurant, and everyone will marvel at your brilliance. This cheapo watch from Casio is a classic—it's comfy and lightweight—and you can cycle through a few modes, including a stopwatch, an alarm, and a second time zone. There's a five-year battery life, and the fully automatic calendar goes through the year 2099 (that's 15 battery changes). If you're interested in non-smartwatches, check out our Best Cheap Watches Under $1,000 guide. —Julian Chokkattu

Casio G-Shock Master of G Rangeman GPR-H1000 for $520: It's not for every event, but the Master of G-Land Rangeman (GPRH1000RY1A) looks great on my wrist, and I love that I only need to charge it about once a week. This is a G-Shock first and foremost. It has a durable, thick case and a comfortable strap. It's a big watch. It also has six sensors and a built-in GPS. Connect the watch to your smartphone via Casio's app, and you can get simple notification alerts, heart-rate tracking, activity tracking, and sleep tracking. That's without mentioning other features like blood oxygen monitoring, compass, world time, altimeter, and barometer. I've compared the results to an Apple Watch Series 10, and for the most part, core metrics like heart rate, step tracking, and sleep stages are similar. I have had some data not show up in the Casio app for a few days, and many of these functions are slow to load on the watch. This would not be my first choice if I wanted a fitness-focused wearable—get a Garmin instead—but I like the ability to look at and track some of these metrics whenever I want. —Julian Chokkattu

Withings ScanWatch 2 for $370: The ScanWatch 2 has been on the market for several years now—one of the few analog smartwatches that discreetly offers a robust suite of health-tracking features. While Withings has introduced new versions of it in fresh styles (like the Nova), the hardware is largely the same. In the fall of 2025, Withings released a new operating system called HealthSense 4, and you don't need to buy a new ScanWatch 2 to receive it. The health-tracking algorithms are more accurate, there are more predictive features, and you even get longer battery life (35 days). I retested the ScanWatch 2, and overall, I enjoyed my time with it; the data is laid out nicely in the Withings app. The tiny display is still a problem, but I can get the gist of incoming-message notifications, and it's easy to scroll with the crown to quickly glance at heart rate, steps, sleep data, and even start a workout. What is frustrating is that any semblance of insight into your data is paywalled behind the Withings+ subscription ($8 per month or $99 a year). My sleep data was more accurate on the Apple Watch and Pixel Watch 4, though the other metrics are on point. If you want a nice-looking analog watch to track basic health data, the ScanWatch 2 is solid, but I think it's time for fresh hardware. —Julian Chokkattu

Apple Watch Series 10 for $360: Thanks to watchOS 27, the 2024 Series 10 has many of the same features as the new Series 11, like hypertension notifications and Sleep Score. It has a thinner and lighter design with a larger screen than prior models, and it even got blood oxygen sensing back via a software update in August 2025. It's too bad this one still has the 18-hour battery life. Avoid paying anywhere close to MSRP for this watch. If you can find it for under $300, snag it. —Boutayna Chokrane

Apple Watch Ultra 2 for $730: The Watch Ultra 2 is still worth considering, just don't pay anywhere near MSRP; otherwise, you may as well buy the new Watch Ultra 3. It can last several days of use, and has many of the same great features as the latest model, including better mics to pick up your voice, an 86-decibel siren to alert your position to anyone nearby, and precise GPS to better track your hikes (plus help you find your way back with the Backtrack feature). The screen can display topographic maps, but you cannot view offline maps without an iPhone. —Boutayna Chokrane

Google Pixel Watch 3 for $300: The Pixel Watch 3 is seeing some steep discounts now that the Pixel Watch 4 is here. It's a great smartwatch, with the caveat that it's not repairable. (The newer model addresses that.) It features loss-of-pulse detection—cleared by the FDA for use in the US—which can be critical in saving someone’s life. Google also focused its fitness updates on running, enabling users to create custom runs and follow AI-powered run recommendations while getting feedback on cardio load—how hard your heart is working and whether it's appropriate for your body. I strongly recommend you go with the 45-mm model, which doesn't even feel that big. It simply delivers better battery life—just about 24 hours with the always-on display o