Sep 18, 2025 9:30 AM
The Best Apple Watch
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If you have an iPhone, the Apple Watch is the best wearable to go with it. But what’s the best Apple Watch to buy? Just a little while ago, this question was more complicated. In 2024, a court ruling dictated that Apple could no longer sell the Series 9, the Watch Ultra 2, and the Series 10 with a blood oxygen sensor. Medical technology company Masimo alleged that Apple had infringed on its patent. However, in August 2025, Apple redesigned the sensor via a software update, and you now have this feature again. Blood oxygen sensing is back!
Apple revamped its entire Apple Watch line this year, which includes the entry-level Watch SE 3, the flagship Watch Series 11, and the Watch Ultra 3. This is the first year that I feel fairly confident about saying yes, if you’re in the market, you should buy a new one. I love the Apple Watch. 10 years on, it’s still the beautiful, Jony Ive–designed wearable everyone with an iPhone has to have. It is the watch I’d wear if I weren’t constantly testing other fitness trackers. (Now my children test them as well.) If you need help telling them apart, I break down which one is best for you and whether older models are worth the price.
Wondering what the operating system for these watches will look like? Check out our breakdown of watchOS 26 and our other relevant buying guides, including the Best Smartwatches, Best Fitness Trackers, and Best iPhones.
Updated September 2025: We’ve added the Apple Watch Series 11, SE 3, and Watch Ultra 3.
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Best Apple Watch for Most
If you’ve been waiting to get your mom or your kid an Apple Watch, the wait is over. Apple updated its entry-level option, the Watch SE (3rd Gen), and it’s the best value in Apple’s smartwatch lineup. It now has the latest S10 chip, which means it can run a lot of the standout health features that the previous SE 2 could not, like sleep apnea notifications and skin temperature sensing. (It still cannot check your blood oxygen or take an electrocardiogram, nor does it have the latest hypertension notifications.)
It runs watchOS 26, so you can see the new Liquid Glass display, the overly peppy workout encouragement from Workout Buddy, and dismiss the Smart Stack widget with a wrist flick. (This comes with the caveat that to use Workout Buddy, you must also be using your watch with an iPhone that is compatible with Apple Intelligence.) It has fast charging, and even though it does not have the Series 11’s boasted 24-hour battery life, I still somehow managed to eke out a full day with it, even with the always-on OLED display. (I do still notice that the screen’s rim is noticeably thicker than the Series 11’s wide-angle display.)
If you held off on last year’s Series 10, you can congratulate yourself now, because you just got much of its functionality in a light and affordable $249 package.
Specs and Features Case sizes: 40 mm or 44 mm Colors and finishes: Aluminum | Starlight and Midnight Hypertension notifications: No Blood oxygen sensing: No Skin temperature sensing: Yes ECG: No Satellite messages: No -
The Flagship Apple Watch
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Photograph: Adrienne So
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Photograph: Adrienne So
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Photograph: Adrienne So
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Photograph: Adrienne So
The Apple Watch Series 11 is Apple’s flagship watch. Every year, I say you don’t have to get the latest Apple Watch if the one you have is compatible with the latest WatchOS. This still applies, but I think the Series 11’s upgraded battery life (from 18 hours to a full 24 hours) is a sea change that dramatically affects the watch’s usability and health features. Many people, including my own spouse, only wore the Apple Watch while they were awake because it was too annoying to wake up to a drained watch. Now you can sleep with it on!
Just about the only feature the Series 11 lacks is satellite messaging, but if you don’t go off the grid often, then it has everything else you need. Unlike the Watch SE 3, it has the full suite of Apple’s health features, which includes Apple’s new (overly generous, perhaps) Sleep Score, blood oxygen sensing, and the ability to take electrocardiograms. That’s in addition to the new, FDA-cleared high blood pressure notifications that I feel certain will start showing up on every fitness tracker in the next few years. Like the Watch SE 3, it’s compatible with watchOS 26, so you can also see the Liquid Glass redesign and use Workout Buddy, and it comes in a much wider range of case sizes, colors, and finishes. Cellular connectivity has also been upgraded from LTE to 5G, but honestly, I didn’t really notice it much, since I don’t play games or watch videos on my watch.
Specs and Features Case sizes: 42 mm or 46 mm Colors and finishes: Aluminum | Rose Gold, Silver, Space Gray, Jet Black. Titanium | Gold, Natural, Slate Hypertension notifications: Yes Blood oxygen sensing: Yes Skin temperature sensing: Yes ECG: Yes Satellite messages: No -
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Best Outdoors Watch
If you’ve ever gone camping, walked 20 yards away from your campsite to go pee behind a tree, and looked up to find that you were completely lost in the dark, then the new Watch Ultra 3 is for you. It now features satellite messaging, which I tested on a weekend camping trip, and it’s a significant improvement over satcomms on your phone. You’re more likely to have your watch on your body in an emergency, and the battery life on the Watch Ultra 3 is quite a bit better—now up to 42 hours from a mere 36 on the Watch Ultra 2.
It has the biggest display of any Apple Watch, which is better for seeing offline maps. It also has the same distinctive design as the original, which includes a three-mic array for taking calls while on the ski lift and diving capabilities. Like the Series 11, it has 5G connectivity in addition to satcomms, hypertension notifications, and all the features in watchOS 26. Again, while I don’t normally counsel that you should buy the latest Apple Watch, this year I think battery life and satcomms are two very significant reasons to upgrade. On a weekend trip, I did not carefully dole out battery usage, freely using the Watch Ultra 3 off-grid to navigate a several-hours-long car ride, track multiple trail runs and hikes, and send satellite texts, and it lasted me from Friday morning to Sunday morning. It is now a true weekend watch, fulfilling the promise that the Watch Ultra made several years ago.
Specs and Features Case sizes: 49 mm Colors and finishes: Titanium | Natural or Black Hypertension notifications: Yes Blood oxygen sensing: Yes Skin temperature sensing: Yes ECG: Yes Satellite messages: Yes -
Or Buy the Last-Gen Apple Watch
You don’t have to get the latest and greatest. The Series 10 has the same S10 chip that’s currently in all of the latest Apple Watches. It has fast charging and the same slim design with the wide-angle viewing screen that you can see in the Series 11 and Watch Ultra 3. It’s also compatible with watchOS 26 (with an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone), so you can still enjoy the Liquid Glass design, Workout Buddy, and flick away Smart Stack with your wrist.
It doesn’t have 24-hour battery life, which … well, that’s a big deal. Going from wearing your watch for 15 or 18 hours a day to the full 24 is enough of a difference that I think the Series 11 is worth the extra cost. However, it does look very sharp, especially in the jet black finish! If you can get it on sale for significantly below the MSRP, it’s worth it.
Specs and Features Case sizes: 42 mm or 46 mm Colors and finishes: Aluminum | Jet Black, Rose, Silver. Titanium | Slate, Gold or Natural Hypertension notifications: Yes Blood oxygen sensing: Yes Skin temperature sensing: Yes ECG: Yes Satellite messages: No
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If It’s on Sale for Under $300
WatchOS 26 is compatible with the Series 6 watches and newer. RIP Watches Series 4, 5, and first-gen SE. However, that makes every watch from the Series 6 on good to go. For example, if you can find it on sale, the Series 9 is still a perfectly capable watch that can still sense blood oxygen and get hypertension notifications.
Specs and Features Case sizes: 41 mm or 45 mm Colors and finishes: Aluminum | Pink, Midnight, Starlight, or Silver Hypertension notifications: Yes Blood oxygen sensing: Yes Skin temperature sensing: Yes ECG: Yes Satellite messages: No
Compare Top 5 Apple Watches
| Model | Case Sizes | Colors and Finishes: | Hypertension notifications: | Blood oxygen sensing? | Skin temperature sensing? | ECG: | Satellite messages: |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple Watch SE 3 | 40 mm or 44 mm | Aluminum | Starlight and Midnight | No | No | Yes | No | No |
| Apple Watch Series 11 | 42 mm or 46 mm | Aluminum | Rose Gold, Silver, Space Gray, Jet Black. Titanium | Gold, Natural, Slate | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Apple Watch Ultra 3 | 49 mm | Titanium | Natural or Black | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Apple Watch Series 10 | 42 mm or 46 mm | Aluminum | Jet Black, Rose, Silver. Titanium | Slate, Gold or Natural | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Apple Watch Series 9 | 41 mm or 45 mm | Aluminum | Pink, Midnight, Starlight, or Silver | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
The Best Apple Watch Accessories
Once you have your Apple Watch, you’re going to need some accessories. Here are the ones for you to consider first.
A 3-in-1 charger. Apple Watches are notoriously hard to keep charged. This Belkin Qi2 charger ($110) is our favorite stand, but we have many more selections in our Best 3-in-1 Apple Wireless Chargers. You can also pick up a power bank ($90) with a built-in Apple Watch charger so you’re not caught outside with a dead watch.
Whatever band you want. Our Best Apple Watch Accessories guide has a ton of options. My personal favorite band of all time is the Konsu NYC supple leather band ($139), but we have many more in our guide.
A case and a screen protector. Apple’s service pricing is notoriously exorbitant—repairing a watch costs almost as much as buying a new one! Bigger and more expensive isn’t always better. If the case is big and doesn’t fit well, it will rattle annoyingly every time you get a notification. I like the Spigen Thin Fit Case ($15) and a screen protector set from Amazon ($10); extras are nice if you mess up the first application.
Avoid These Watches
It’s been years since we’ve seen retailers carry the Series 1, Series 2, or Series 3. You may see them on resale sites, but they are not worth the price. WatchOS 26 only works with the second-gen SE and newer, so we no longer recommend buying the Series 4 or 5, or the first-gen SE. The Series 1 isn’t waterproof; neither the Series 1 nor the Series 2 has any cellular capability; and none of these watches are compatible with the latest watchOS version.
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