11 best smartwatches to buy in 2023

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 and apps: 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. You’ll also get the best experience from an Android device with Google’s ​​Wear OS. The operating system also determines which third-party apps you can add to your watch. There are some watches that use an operating system from the manufacturer (like Fitbit’s “Fitbit OS” and Garmin’s “Garmin OS”), although these don’t get as wide of a variety of extra apps.

Display: One reason that the display size matters so much is that we all have different-sized wrists. You may prefer a slightly smaller screen if you feel that will fit better around your wrist. After all, wearing the watch should be comfortable. You’ll see that some displays are circular and others are squared-off, and you may prefer one style or the other. All smartwatches offer a wide selection of different watch faces within their companion apps to display the time in different ways, ideal whether you prefer a traditional dial, an easy-to-read digital approach, or the ability to switch between them.

Fitness tracking: The extent of fitness tracking varies between smartwatches. Most allow you to record exercise sessions such as walking and running (both indoors and outdoors), while some can log up to 100 different types of exercise and track several different health metrics. All the smartwatches on this list have a built-in heart rate monitor too, so you can also track beats per minute (bpm).

Waterproofing and swim tracking: Sweat-proofing and waterproofing are standard on most smartwatches, so they can be worn in the bath, in the shower and while swimming. Some can monitor your swim session, both in the pool and in open water.

GPS: Some smartwatches come with built-in GPS, rather than relying on your smartphone. With this, you can leave your phone behind when running or walking and still track the route you’ve covered. It also helps with getting directions from your watch.

Sleep tracking: Most smartwatches have this feature built-in as standard. However, the depth of information can be varied. Some just provide a total for the number of hours you sleep, while others break this down into heavy, light and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep.

Battery life: How long your watch lasts between charges is crucial, especially if you need to find some time to recharge it and it’s designed for overnight wear to track your sleep. Some offer “all-day” battery life, which will mean they need a refuel each morning or overnight (which stops you from using sleep tracking and vibrating alarms), while others will last for several days and up to more than a week without needing juice, depending on how you use it. Smartwatches are often equipped with fast charging, too – if you think you’ll need to recharge on the go, we recommend owning a power bank.

Contactless payments: Many smartwatches can be used to make contactless payments by hovering the watch’s face over a contactless reader. Apple Pay and Google Pay are the most widely supported mobile payment services, but Samsung, Garmin and Fitbit all have their own offerings. Not all UK banks support all mobile payment services, though.

Price: There’s a real range of prices in the smartwatch world. You can find super cheap options that go for under £100, mid-range models will tend to cost around £200, while premium models like the flagship Apple Watch Series 8 cost around £400. With customisations like different materials or straps, the price increases, and there are smartwatch models designed for extra robustness or specific activities that will be pricey. When you start to look at dedicated watches to survive harsh conditions, you’ll see the price go up to £800 or more.