Similar to miniature smartphones, smartwatches are worn on the wrist. Texting, calls, voice assistants, navigation, fitness monitoring, tap-to-pay, and more are supported by the majority. A smartwatch is a necessary wearable that improves daily life for many people at NBC Select.
However, the smartphone you carry about nearly completely determines which smartwatch is ideal for you. Many of the top smartwatches are only compatible with Android or iPhone phones. Some even contain functions that are exclusive to a certain kind of smartphone. Like a square peg made for a square hole, smartwatches are frequently customized to fit a particular smartphone, working together to provide the greatest experience.
For this reason, I’ve used Apple, Samsung, and Google phones to evaluate more than a dozen smartwatches. You can read more about each brand’s strengths and how smartwatches operate below. Each company has also produced a number of new smartwatches, which we intend to examine shortly.
GO Ahead and Skip2024 Staff Favorite Smartwatches|How to Make the Most of Your Smartwatch|Why NBC Select Is Trusted?
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Best for iPhone usersApple Watch Series 10
$349.00$399.00Best Buy
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Best for Android usersGoogle Pixel Watch 3
$299.99$349.99Amazon
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Best for Samsung usersSamsung Galaxy Watch 7
$224.99$299.99Amazon
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Best for fitnessGarmin Venu 3
$349.99$449.99Amazon
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How we picked the best smartwatches
The majority of NBC Select employees wear smartwatches for sleep tracking, exercise, or notifications. We chose smartwatches based on the following considerations, combining their experience with my time testing:
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Ease of use
: Smartphones have so many features and options that they can easily become overwhelming. We selected products that are easy and enjoyable to use out of the box, both glancing at your wrist and scrolling in the app. We also favored watches that let you customize settings, watch faces and notifications to your liking. -
Compatibility
: Not all smartwatches are compatible with all smartphones it s quite the opposite. We included wearables for people with all kinds of smartphones. -
Price
: Most smartwatches cost between $100 and $500. We included wearables across different price points, but again, your choices are largely limited by which smartphone you own.
How I test smartwatches
For NBC Select, I have tried more than a dozen smartwatches. As a runner and biker, I frequently use them to measure and keep an eye on metrics like time, pace, and heart rate. As NBC Select’s tech reporter, I also frequently spend hours experimenting with product settings to see what a device can do right out of the box and what I might improve upon later.
I evaluate the smartwatches I receive from various brands for at least a week, making use of as many capabilities as I can. Depending on the watch’s compatibility, I pair it with a Google Pixel, Samsung Galaxy, or Apple smartphone.
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Staff-favorite smartwatches in 2024
The firms that account for the vast bulk of smartphone sales in the United States, Apple, Samsung, and Google, provide the majority of our top overall selections. The capabilities of all of our best choices are remarkably similar; they can all utilize voice assistants, send and receive texts, make calls, track wellness and health metrics, log workouts, access applications, locate your phone, and more.
Our choices for the budget are a little more constrained. Some people lack an on-watch keyboard to type SMS or are unable to answer phones. In every advice, we go over each of these restrictions.
Although we linked to the Wi-Fi versions of many devices, many also offer Wi-Fi plus cellular versions that can perform the majority of operations without a smartphone connection when configured with their own phone plan.
Best smartwatch for iPhone:
Apple Watch Series 10
Apple Watch Series 10
- Info-rich display
- Syncs with most iOS apps
- So-so battery life
The Apple Watch stubbornly stays on one of my wrists, at least for comparison with other smartwatches, even if new models are continuously being tested. The Series 10 model features small bezels (the frame that surrounds the screen) and a huge, square, always-on display. I can easily read and swipe through notifications without making any unintentional mistakes thanks to the watch’s form-factor, which allows it to display a large amount of text on the screen at once.
It effortlessly syncs with Apple apps like as Health and Fitness to display information about your sleep, health, and exercise. In addition, it can send texts, answer calls, use Siri’s voice assistant to make requests, and more.
The case of the Series 10 is marginally slimmer than that of the previous model, and the screen bezels have also been made thinner. It has been simpler for me to quickly see the time or a notice without rotating the watch to face me because the screen itself is brighter when viewed from an angle.
Along with some new features like sleep apnea alerts and depth and water temperature sensors for swimming, it still includes all the features I enjoyed about the Apple Watch Series 9, like the double tap gesture.
The battery life of the Series 10 is up to 18 hours shorter than that of many of its rivals. It is available in titanium or aluminum and comes in two sizes, 42mm and 46mm.
42mm and 46mm touchscreen display; up to 18 hours of battery life with an always-on display; built-in GPS; sleep monitoring; heart-rate sensor with EKG; water resistance up to 50 meters; and iPhone compatibility
Best smartwatch for Samsung:
Samsung Galaxy Watch 7
Samsung Galaxy Watch 7
- Sleek and comfortable
- Easily customizable
- Some features only for Samsung
The Samsung Galaxy Watch is distinguished by its elegant appearance, cozy fit, and adjustable screen. It features a brilliant, responsive, round, always-on display. The two buttons on the watch serve as the home and back buttons by default. These buttons can be reprogrammed to perform other tasks, such as displaying your most frequently used apps or opening a particular app. I adore physical buttons on watches, but touch controls aren’t the best for bike rides, hikes, or runs outside, especially when gloves are on or the weather is poor.
Samsung’s Galaxy Wearable app or the watch itself both allow you to personalize watch faces. I find it to be simpler and more user-friendly than most other wearables, and I can quickly build different faces with unique numbers, colors, fonts, and layouts.
It has the same features as other smartwatches, including texting, calling, and receiving app notifications. I have had no trouble using it to pay for groceries and public transportation because it allows tap-to-pay.
Sleep apnea tracking and a hands-free Double Pinch motion that closely resembles the double touch gesture on the Apple Watch are two of the new features in this most recent edition. All Android phones can use it, but several of its features—like EKG readings, notifications for irregular heart rhythms, fitness energy score, and smartphone camera control—only function when paired with a Samsung phone.
40mm or 44mm touchscreen display; 30-hour battery life with an always-on display; built-in GPS; sleep monitoring; heart-rate monitor with EKG; 30-minute water resistance; compatibility with Android phones
Best smartwatch for Android:
Google Pixel Watch 3
Google Pixel Watch 3
- Syncs easily with Google apps
- Automatic workout detection
- Love it or hate it round shape
- Fiddly charger
With significant design and fitness enhancements over the previous edition, the Pixel Watch 3 is the best Pixel watch to date and a good choice, particularly for those who own a Google Pixel phone.
Fitbit fitness monitoring is integrated within the watch, however it is more comprehensive than that of the Fitbit Charge 6. It recognizes walking, running, biking, elliptical, treadmill, rower, and spin activities automatically after five minutes (15 for walking), just like the earlier models, and asks if you want to begin the activity. I really appreciate this function because I frequently forget to log walks.
Running capabilities including self-created custom runs with intervals, heart rate objectives, warm-ups, and cool-downs are new to the Pixel Watch 3. The watch will buzz while you run to signal the start of your next section or to show you whether you are on track, ahead of schedule, or behind schedule. I frequently utilize custom runs on Garmin and Apple Watches, so the Google Pixel Watch’s new capability is fantastic.
It has screens that are up to twice as bright as the previous model and is available in two sizes: 41 and 45 millimeters. Additionally, the brand claims that the battery lasts up to 24 hours.
Water resistance: yes, up to 50 meters; built-in GPS; sleep tracking; heart-rate sensor with EKG; 41mm or 45mm touchscreen; battery life of up to 24 hours with always-on display; compatibility with Android phones
Best smartwatch for fitness:
Garmin Venu 3
Garmin Venu 3
- Excellent battery life
- Robust fitness tracking
- Pricey
- No on-watch keyboard on iPhone
The Venu 3 is one of Garmin’s smartest wearables, and the company produces some of the greatest fitness trackers.
Among the most comfortable smartwatches I’ve tried is this one. It features a flexible and supple silicone band with a metal casing. The main reason the watch is so flat is because the back sensor is flatter than those on the Apple Watch and Google Pixel Watch. Three buttons on the side are particularly helpful for beginning and ending a workout and for recording laps or repetitions when working out.
With comprehensive charts and graphs on variables like pace, heart rate, cadence, and more, the Venu 3 prioritizes fitness and health data. Additionally, it is very configurable; you can alter any aspect of it, including the home screen and the precise numbers that show up throughout various activities. Anyone who like data will appreciate this, but Garmin newbies may find it a bit daunting.
Battery life is an additional strength. the Venu 3 gets up to 5 days of battery life with the always-on display.Five days.That is far longer than our other top picks, and more than most smartwatches on the market. I averaged about 6 days before needing to charge.
The Venu 3 is available in black or white, and the smallerVenu 3sis available in five colors.
Display:41mm, 45mm touchscreen|Battery life:up to 5 days with always-on display|Built-in GPS:yes|Sleep tracking:yes|Heart-rate monitor:yes, with EKG|Water resistance:yes, up to 50 meters|Compatible with:iPhone and Android phones
Best budget smartwatch for iPhone users:
Apple Watch SE (2nd Gen)
Apple Watch SE (2nd Gen)
- Competitive price
- Syncs with most iOS apps
- So-so battery life
The Apple Watch SE cost much less than theApple Watch Series 10andApple Watch Ultra 2, but has much of the same design and features that make those watches great.
It syncs seamlessly with your iPhone and iPhone apps it feels like a natural extension of your phone, straight out of the box. Like the Series 10, it connects with AppleHealthandFitnessapps to show detailed workout, sleep and health data, with more info than many competitors at this price point, no subscription required.
Compared to the Series 10, the SE is a little slower, smaller and has a dimmer screen that cannot be changed to an always-on mode. It also does not have an on-screen keyboard you can send pre-set responses or dictate using voice-to-text with Siri. It comes in two sizes, 40mm and 44mm, with manywatch bandoptions.
Display:40mm or 44mm touchscreen|Battery life:up to 18 hours (no always-on display)|Built-in GPS:yes|Sleep tracking:yes (not including naps)|Heart-rate monitor:yes, no EKG|Water resistance:yes, up to 50 meters|Compatible with:iPhone
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How to get the most out of your smartwatch
Smartwatches have so many features that they can be overwhelming out of the box. Most people I know complete the initial setup and never customize anything aside from the background on the watch face. Below are a few of the most useful features across every smartwatch you may want to try out:
Watch face
Almost every smartwatch lets you customize the default watch face. Scroll through the watch or watch companion app settings and tinker with customizing the watch face. All of our top picks let you change the layout, colors, background and stats, with many more options if you dig a little deeper. One NBC Select staffer has her Apple Watch face set to a picture of her cat, for example.
Safety tracking
Most smartwatches have robust safety features available. This means you have the option to manually or automatically send your live location to a list of emergency contacts, depending on how you set it up. If you are planning an activity where you would feel safer having the option to automatically reach out to emergency contacts (or emergency services), be sure to set up this feature.
Contactless payments
Smartwatches generally support one form of contactless payment, think Apple Pay, Samsung Wallet, Google Wallet or Garmin Pay. These apps can store your debit or credit information and let you tap-to-pay at supported businesses like cafes, restaurants and even most public transport. This is a useful feature to set up if you hate carrying your wallet everywhere you go.
Battery-saver settings
You can get much longer battery life if you change a few of the settings on your smartwatch. Turning off the always-on display, lowering your screen brightness and adjusting background app refresh settings, can all help extend the time you get between charges.
Why trust NBC Select?
I am areporterat NBC Select who covers technology and fitness including recent stories onfitness trackers,running shoes,workout earbudsand more. For this piece, I tried over a dozen top-rated fitness trackers and smartwatches. For a broader perspective, I spoke with other NBC Select staffers about their experience with smartwatches.
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