Smartwatches are no longer just for fitness enthusiasts or the tech-obsessed. With the ability to help you break free from your smartphone, a smartwatch can improve your life in many ways.
You’ll appreciate how these devices allow you to track your exercise, sleep, lifestyle habits and health while providing you with important notifications, calls and texts.
Don’t miss our list of the best smartwatches for iPhone to stay connected while enhancing your day-to-day life.
Top Smartwatches
When it comes to finding the right smartwatch, take the time to evaluate functionality and features. Here are our choices for the best smartwatches for iPhone to fit every lifestyle.
1. Apple Watch Series 7
As an iPhone user, an Apple Watch has everything you need. The Series 7 with GPS + Cellular is expensive, but it has every bell and whistle with guaranteed connectivity.
You can call, text and email or stream music, podcasts and audiobooks without needing your phone. However, that’s not all this watch can do.
When it comes to fitness, no one can resist closing all of their Activity rings. Beyond that, you can measure your blood oxygen or take an ECG anytime, anywhere.
This helps with your overall health while also giving you key metrics about your fitness and sports performance.
You can measure and maximize your workout doing just about anything, from Pilates to running to dance to cycling and more.
Then, you can share your progress or compete with friends. Apple really focuses on keeping you motivated.
You can also access Apple Fitness+, a fitness service designed around the Apple Watch. Think of it as Peloton for people with an Apple Watch who don’t want to buy any equipment.
This watch goes even deeper into your health. Help yourself with mindfulness using the Mindfulness app and track your sleep with the Sleep app.
The watch will also give you high and low heart rate alerts as well as irregular rhythm notifications. You can stay safe with Emergency SOS alerts and fall detection.
With nearly 20% more screen and 40% thinner borders, this device is better than the Series 6. The user experience is optimized with the larger OLED display and Always On Retina display.
Its tougher durability, crack-resistant front crystal, IP6X dust resistance and WR50 swimproof design help make buying this product a no-brainer.
There are thousands of apps available in the App Store that are compatible with the Apple Watch Series 7.
Along with connectivity with social media, texts, calling and music, you can get directions with Maps, utilize Siri and use Wallet to open doors, board planes or pay using Apple Pay.
There are so many ways you can customize this smartwatch to make your life easier. It’s a little mind-blowing.
Another cool feature is their Family sharing function. Set up a watch for family members who don’t have an iPhone so they can access messages, calls and safety features as well.
As with all Apple products, you can opt-in to Apple Care+. You’ll get Apple-certified service and 24/7 priority access to Apple experts. The best part? Accidental damage coverage.
Make sure you order a USB-C charging block since this watch only comes with the charging cable. With all these features, you definitely want to be able to charge your watch.
We also love the faster charging time. It charges a third faster than the Series 6.
If you want a watch that’s highly functional and stands up to a busy lifestyle, this is the one.
Pros
- iPhone user connectivity that is unmatched
- Fitness and whole-body health
- Family sharing
Cons
- Need to order a USB-C charging block in order to charge it
2. Withings Steel HR Hybrid
We like this smartwatch for its stylish look and broad connectivity. Vibration and notifications appear on the embedded digital screen, which has the most refined look of the watches on this list.
While it doesn’t have the full connectivity that an Apple watch offers, it does work with Apple Health.
It supports calls, texts, events and apps while syncing with Fitbit, Google Fit, MyFitnessPal, Strava and more.
If you’re in the market for health and fitness, Withings has clinically tested heart rate monitoring that will function day and night as well as continuously throughout your workouts.
In fact, it’s on par with the gym-quality heart rate monitoring that you’d find with chest straps. You can track your steps, calories and distance with activity tracking and over 30 different sports.
It also will map your location, distance, elevation and pace as you complete your workout with the Health Mate app.
As part of your wellness regime, the Steel HR Hybrid has automatic sleep monitoring. This tracks your sleep cycles, interruptions and the depth and regularity of your sleep.
It will then assign you a Sleep Score based on all these factors, which can be an easy way to see how your sleep is stacking up.
This smartwatch is packed with useful functions. It has a whopping 25 days of battery life, which is one of the longest-lasting batteries on this list.
If you choose to use the power-reserve mode, which only tracks your activity and the time, you’ll get an additional 20 days of battery life. That is a month and a half total.
This makes it amazing for travel, vacation, long-distance hiking and anything you might not want to have to pack chargers for.
It’s waterproof to 50 meters, so swimming is a breeze. Better yet, it comes with Amazon Alexa built right in.
The functions are great, but it really shines with its design. It looks just like a regular watch, which is nice for those who don’t want to look like they’re sporting a screen on their arm.
A metal design makes it feel solid, and the swappable wristbands mean you can go from leather to silicone to metal depending on the situation.
This watch has a thoughtful design that balances a minimalist look and feature-rich functionality. You’d be hard-pressed to find a smartwatch that offers this level of elegance and quality.
Pros
- Beautiful, simple design
- Alexa built-in
- Multiple supported apps and functions
- Best battery life
Cons
- No pay function
- Notification screen is (necessarily) small
3. Apple Watch SE
A little more affordable than the Series 7, the Apple Watch SE includes many of the same features.
If you don’t need every available functionality, this is a nice middle-ground watch to still reap the benefits of a completely compatible iPhone watch without breaking the bank.
With the GPS + Cellular model, you can make and receive calls, texts, emails and stream content to your portable music player without your phone.
You can even talk to Siri, use Apple Pay and access Wallet. With Maps, you can get directions on your phone and feel vibrations on your wrist when it’s time to turn.
Apple Watch SE keeps up with the Series 7 with ease while focusing on fitness and health. Track all your daily activity on the watch and work to close your Activity rings every day.
With an array of activities to choose from, you can measure your workouts with precision. For example, the built-in compass and real-time elevation readings can take your hikes to another level.
The watch even works when submerged in water, making it a great option for swimmers.
If you’re looking for a good fitness subscription service, Apple Fitness+ was designed around the Apple Watch, and the SE is fully integrated.
Along with fitness tracking, the SE follows your overall health. It can alert you to unusual heart rate levels and send you notifications for irregular heart rhythms.
The hard fall detection is priceless for just about anyone. This smartwatch can detect if you’ve fallen, then automatically call emergency services for you.
Additionally, one of the more popular features you’ll notice, the Sleep app, can help you create stronger sleep habits.
Like the Series 7, the SE also allows you to set up and manage an Apple Watch for members of your family that don’t have their own iPhone.
Furthermore, the AppleCare+ helps protect your investment, though its waterproof and dustproof ratings will ensure your watch will keep on ticking.
Pros
- Full integration for iPhone users
- Thousands of available apps
- Unsurpassed fitness tracking
- Fall detection
Cons
- Setup can take a while if you need to do updates
4. TicWatch E3
The TicWatch E3 is a winner because of its high-quality features and extremely lightweight feel. It even allows you to track the health data of multiple family members via the Mobvoi app.
Since it’s powered by the WearOS operating system by Google, you can connect to apps like Spotify, Google Maps and Google Pay.
It also syncs with iOS and Apple Health, allowing you to connect to things like Google Fit.
Just like the Apple Watches and the Withings, the TicWatch E3 has over 20 different workouts that it can track, from running and cycling to ice skating and mountain climbing and more.
The best part is that even if you forget to pick a mode when you begin your workout, it has proactive detection and will record what it thinks you’re doing.
It also features a built-in GPS and a barometer, making it one of the best choices for outdoor physical fitness.
You can even sync with additional fitness apps, like TicMotion and Google Fit, though a subscription is required.
For overall health, it tracks sleep and provides stress monitoring and management. It even offers blood oxygen saturation detection and 24-hour heart rate monitoring.
All of these features combined help create a picture of your wellness that isn’t detectable by fitness. Better yet, the stress management is something we love about this watch.
The TicWatch E3 sends and receives calls through the built-in microphone and speaker. Its WearOS operating system is the first of its kind and ensures a smooth smartwatch experience.
This smartwatch was designed well and has great battery optimization. The Essential Mode kicks in automatically when the power is below 5%. Alternately, you can set it to this mode yourself.
It charges quickly and has a two-day battery life. We found if you charge it for just over an hour, it will work fine for the next two days.
Better yet, it’s IP68 waterproof and rustproof, making it ready for just about anything you throw at it.
While it does sync with iOS and Apple Health, it is a little more work and has extra apps you’ll need to download to enjoy its full functionality.
At a comparable price to the Apple Watch SE, you’ll want to consider the benefits of both when making your decision.
Pros
- Lightweight
- Great for outdoor fitness
- Stress management
Cons
- Call quality is a little spotty
5. Fitbit Versa 3
Created by one of the original smartwatch innovators, Fitbit’s Versa 3 offers a new level of functionality for fitness buffs.
The Versa 3 also provides a very similar array of experiences as the Apple Watch, including an app called “Relax,” which is a lot like Apple’s “Breathe” app.
Built-in GPS means you can see your real-time pace and distance without bringing your phone with you. It will sync to the Fitbit app where you can check your workout intensity map.
Another great feature for fitness enthusiasts is the Active Zone minutes, which uses your resting heart rate to measure your exercise effort. It then buzzes when you should step up your intensity.
Fitbit has also included better heart rate technology in the Versa 3, tracking your rate 24/7. Better yet, it’s waterproof to 50m.
It will also track your sleep and restlessness and assign you a sleep score, as well as your blood oxygen levels. The only downside is that there is no spot check option.
This watch connects well with your iPhone via Bluetooth, and you can use the built-in mic and speaker to take calls hands-free. You can receive text and app notifications, but you can’t respond to them.
It’s compatible with Amazon Alexa, where you can control Spotify, Deezer and Pandora.
You can download playlists and podcasts from Pandora and Deezer to the watch and leave your phone at home or control streaming from the watch when your phone is nearby.
You’ll still have the ability to pay using your smartwatch with Fitbit Pay, which syncs easily with Apple.
When you purchase a Versa 3, you’ll also get a free 90-day subscription to Fitbit Premium. This provides personalized fitness insights, guided programs, mindfulness, sleep tools, workouts and more.
The Fitbit Premium service makes the Versa comparable to the Apple Watch, but you will have to pay for it if you want to use it beyond the 90-day free period.
With a great six-day battery life and 12-minute fast charging, the Fitbit Versa 3 is a well-equipped smartwatch, especially for those who are fitness inclined.
Pros
- Syncs easily with iPhone via Bluetooth
- Large array of fitness offerings
- Fitbit Pay
Cons
- Cannot run a timer and an app simultaneously
- Cannot return text messages
- Paid service (Fitbit Premium) is required to make it competitive
6. Garmin Vivoactive 4
When you want something that can track your fitness, Garmin comes to mind as a trusted name.
The Vivoactive 4 spans many different areas of fitness and health. If that is your primary focus in a smartwatch, you’d be hard-pressed to choose anything else.
While it’s not the smooth integration experience of an Apple Watch, it’s far more advanced in tracking your workouts.
You can keep an eye on your health 24/7 with the all-day health monitoring features available.
This watch keeps track of your energy levels. Deemed the Body Battery Energy Monitor, this feature allows you to see your body’s energy levels throughout the day to find the best times for activity and rest.
It also allows you to check your blood oxygen saturation while tracking respiration, your menstrual cycle, stress, sleep, estimated heart rhythm, hydration and more.
If you want to keep track of your body, this is an easy and smart way to collect a lot of data.
Tracking fitness is Garmin’s bread and butter. They have more than 20 preloaded GPS and indoor sports apps, like yoga, running, swimming and cycling.
Furthermore, if you decide you want to try something new, the Vivoactive 4 has easy-to-follow animated workouts right on your watch screen.
Choose from preloaded ones like cardio, strength and Pilates, or download more from the Garmin Connect online community. Having demonstrations right at your fingertips is the closest thing to a live coach you can get.
Speaking of coaches, Garmin Coach is a free personal running coach that helps you train for your next 5K, 10K or half-marathon. This includes training plans that help you reach your race goal and adjusts based on your performance.
Garmin has one of the best safety and tracking features on this list. “Incident detection” during certain activities can figure out if you’ve fallen or if something has gone wrong during an exercise.
If this happens, it can automatically (during outdoor activities) or manually send your real-time location to your pre-listed emergency contacts. It’s just another way to help people feel safer.
You can receive smart notifications like emails, texts, calendar reminders and other alerts. Plus, you can use contactless payment with Garmin Pay.
Download songs to your watch, including playlists from Spotify, Amazon Music or Deezer, and use your wireless earbuds to listen without the need for your phone.
There are lots of apps, widgets and watch faces to download from the Connect IQ store for free. Chances are, you’ll find whatever you’re looking for.
Even though it’s fitness-first, this watch has a minimalist look. It has a comfortable wristband and a durable, waterproof watch face.
This smartwatch provides up to eight days of battery life when using it as a smartwatch, but that falls to six hours when in GPS and music mode.
Pros
- Amazing fitness and health tracking
- Safety settings
- Animated workouts
- Ability to download music to the watch
Cons
- Low battery life when using music and GPS
- No external speaker
- Can only respond to text messages if you’re paired with an Android device
Summary
When you’re looking for a smartwatch, there are a few things you’ll want to consider.
First, how integrated is it with your iPhone? How well does it connect, and what sort of services or features does it offer?
Is it water or weatherproof? Does it do what you need and want it to do?
You can be confident that the iPhone smartwatches listed above over-deliver when it comes to features, services and compatibility.
