The best smartwatches you can buy right now

How do smartwatches work?

Just like your smartphone, a smartwatch is a tiny computer that runs apps, allowing you to check the emails and messages that arrive on your phone without getting it out of your bag or pocket. They can store and play music from streaming platforms including Spotify, Amazon Music, Tidal or Apple Music, and feature a voice assistant (to provide you with weather forecasts, set reminders, timers and more).

Most smartwatches these days are not designed to work without a smartphone, so they’ll need to connect to your handset via Bluetooth.

These wearables are also made for health and fitness, offering several advanced features. They come with sensors to measure movement and vibration, so they know whether you’re standing, sitting still, walking or working out.

Combine this with an included heart rate monitor and your relevant information (like height, weight and age), and then the watch will work out your step count and calorie burn each day, helping you to hit your goals and motivating you along the way.

Is it worth getting a smartwatch?

We think so. Of course, it’s an entirely different experience when compared to wearing a traditional wristwatch and you have to get used to charging the device quite often. But you’ll find that many people who use a smartwatch soon find it invaluable.

It’s convenient to get alerts about calls, messages, emails or app notifications (for example, alerts of motion detected by your wifi security camera) straight to your wrist, so you’ll never miss anything and will spend far less time looking at your phone.

When it comes to exercise, the step counter and distance monitor may be accurate but the calorie burn is only an estimate, as it relies on more factors than a smartwatch can track. We suggest you use it as a guide but not an exact record.

If you’re a target-driven person, you may find the challenge of reaching a certain distance, step count or calorie burn goal every day motivates you. And, if you like a little friendly competition, many smartwatches allow you to compete in challenges with friends (or strangers) using devices from the same brand.

How to buy the best smartwatch

Buying a smartwatch can be complicated, and there are several different things to consider before you decide which one to go for – we’ve rounded the key factors below:

Operating system

As your smartwatch is a companion to your phone, you’ll need to think about the operating system. We recommend an Apple Watch to iPhone users, as they work best together, but it’s worth noting that you can’t use Apple’s wearables with Android phones.