Best Apple Watch to buy

Apple is arguably the biggest name in the smartwatches market. An Apple Watch puts your phone’s screen on your wrist, giving you notifications and apps without you needing to get your phone out, plus fitness features and cutting-edge health features. 

All the watches share the same design, but what are the differences between them?

Processor, price and features – these are just some of the differences between them. If you go for an LTE version, you can leave your iPhone at home if needed and still stay connected. We take a look at the range, from the Series 1 through to the newest Series 9 and the Apple Watch Ultra 2. 

There's a lot to love about Apple Watches, but they're not perfect, either. For example, one watch was out by 50% measuring steps when our tester was walking about their home doing chores. 

You can also see how Apple Watches compare with other brands by heading to our list of the best smartwatches.

Logged-in Which? members can view the full Apple Watch results in the table below. If you’re not yet a member, join Which? to get instant access

Not found the product for you? Browse all of our smartwatch reviews.

How much will an Apple Watch cost? 

Whichever watch you go for, you'll have a number of customisation options. So the price you pay will depend on factors like size of the screen, the material of the band and casing, whether you go for a designer version and whether you want LTE (also known as cellular connectivity).

The current range includes the second generation Apple Watch SE, SE + Cellular, Series 9, Series 8, Series 8 + Cellular and the Apple Watch Ultra and Ultra 2.

The Apple Watch Series 9 starts at £429. The new iteration of the SE (pitched as a more affordable Apple Watch – and much cheaper than the others – but clearly still not exactly cheap) starts at £245. The Apple Watch Ultra, pitched at adventurers, starts at a frightening £799.

Earlier Apple Watches are no longer available to buy direct from Apple, but some retailers are still selling them while stocks last and you can pick up second-hand versions from Apple's Refurbished store. 

Choosing the best Apple Watch

All of the models in the Apple Watch range are compatible with iOS devices. Find out more about the different features they offer and how they fared in our tests. 

• Apple Watch SE GPS review
• Apple Watch Series 8 review
• Apple Watch SE version 2 review
• Apple Watch Ultra review
• Apple Watch Series 9 review
• Apple Watch Ultra 2 review

The Series 4 was a much bigger step forwards in many ways than the Series 6, SE or Series 7. Exciting features that you'll find on the Series 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 include heart monitors. These watches can:

• Notify you if your heart rate is too high or low
• Detect atrial fibrillation – irregular heart rhythms. Apple is being careful not to say that it definitely will detect this, but it could do 
• Take ECG (electrocardiogram) readings, which you can share with your doctor.

They can also detect if you've fallen over and call 999 on your behalf if you've been immobile for a minute. The cellular versions will do this even if you're not near your phone.

The Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra have a blood-oxygen app, which the SE doesn't. The SE (pictured below) doesn't have the ability to take ECGs, either.  

watchOS

All the watches run off watchOS, Apple's operating system. This is designed to work exclusively with iOS devices and so can’t be used with Android or Windows. Check our smartwatches reviews for devices that are compatible with other operating systems. 

watchOS is a touch-based interface that offers the gamut of smart features beyond reading and responding to messaged and emails, making and receiving phone calls, and dealing with social media notifications. You can also use the watch to craft social media posts, such as tweets, from scratch and make contactless payments via Apple Pay. You can use the voice-command feature courtesy of Siri. You can take screenshots, unlock your Mac from your watch instead of typing in the password and you can send your live location direct from your wrist. 

You can share your activity rings with friends if you want to show them your progress and you can comment on friends' activity rings. 

For a bit of fun, you can also hear the time spoken aloud by Mickey Mouse or Minnie Mouse. 

In September 2022, Apple released a new version of its operating system – watchOS 9. This comes pre-installed on the most recent Apple Watches and is available for the Series 4 onwards. If it's not pre-installed, you'll need to download iOs16 onto your iPhone. 

If you own a Series 3, you won't have access to watchOS 9, as Apple is dropping support for the Series 3. 

Interesting new features of watchOS 9 include:

• The ability to create events in your calendar directly from your watch
• The ability to add details to reminders
• More languages using the existing QWERTY keyboard
• More features to a watch jointly owned by a family, such as the ability to listen to podcasts.

Design

All Apple Watches look similar, with a round-cornered rectangular face, touchscreen display and circular button on the side for scrolling through menus and notifications. As of the Series 4, the digital crown gives haptic feedback (small vibrations) for what Apple calls a more 'precise, mechanical feel'.

Apple has come a long way from the Series 1, which could only be bought with a rubber strap. For the Series 8, available straps include silicone, leather and designer versions. If you already own a band from a previous Apple Watch, you'll be able to use it for the Series 8.

The Apple Watch Ultra has the biggest and brightest Apple Watch display yet (two times brighter than any previous models) and a 27% bigger screen than the Apple watch SE. The Series 8 has a 20% bigger screen than the SE. 

Processor

All Apple Watches use an onboard processor.

The original Apple Watch has an S1 chip, Series 1 models have an updated S1P dual-core processor and Series 3 has an S3 processor, which is more powerful and includes on-chip GPS functionality. The Series 4 has a new dual core 64-bit processor for (Apple claims) double the performance. This was updated for the Series 6 and again for the Series 7.

The Series 8, second generation SE and Ultra are powered by a S8 SiP advanced dual-core processor. The latest Series 9 got another upgrade. This chip allows the watch to do more actions locally without relying on your iPhone.

Built-in GPS

Built-in GPS lets you track your routes without relying on your smartphone, so you can leave your mobile at home when heading out for a run for instance. It’s available on models from the Series 3 onwards.

Water-resistance

The now discontinued Series 2 was the first range of smartwatches from Apple to be made water-resistant, with a rating of 5ATM (so water resistant to up to 50 metres in depth for 10 minutes). Most recent Apple watches have followed suit, so they're fine to wear while showering or swimming, even in open water, but won’t be suitable for watersports or diving. Check your strap is swimproof if you plan to take yours watch swimming, though.

It’s currently impossible to seal a speaker, because it needs air to produce sound, but Apple has got round this by creating a speaker that lets water in and then uses sound vibrations to eject it back out.

The Apple Watch Ultra (above), however, is designed for extreme sports, including water sports. It's able to track scuba dives, for example, and will show you time spent underwater, current depth, water temperature and maximum depth reached. 

How long does an Apple Watch battery last?

Battery life – previously an Achilles heel for Apple Watches, due to all that technology – is now finally improved too. It's still not the longest, but you won't be tied into daily charging anymore. The Apple Watch Ultra gives you four days before needing a top up, though having GPS on will drain it faster. 

To find out more, read our full reviews of the Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch Ultra 2 and Apple Watch SE version 2. 

Or, for a much cheaper alternative, head to our guide to buying one of the best cheap smartwatches.