As WIRED’s resident wearable tester, I’ve tried enough smartwatches to know there’s life beyond the Apple Watch. I just apparently don’t want it. Maybe it’s because I joined the Apple ecosystem at 10 years old and have been indoctrinated ever since. I’m fluent in iOS, macOS, and watchOS, and for better or worse, the Apple Watch is my default wearable.
But what’s the best Apple Watch to buy? There are now three models, each with its own set of features, and the differences between them can appear minor even when the prices aren’t. Fortunately, I’ve tested them all; Here’s how the current lineup stacks up.
For more recommendations, check out our guides to the Best Apple Watch Bands, the Best Apple Watch Accessories, and the Best Smartwatches.
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Best Apple Watch Overall
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Photograph: Boutayna Chokrane
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Photograph: Boutayna Chokrane
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Photograph: Boutayna Chokrane
The Series 12 is Apple’s flagship watch. Its biggest upgrade is the new Health Sensing System, which improves the breadth, accuracy, and frequency of its health tracking. The ECG now uses 32 electrodes for better skin contact, up from two on the Series 11, while improved optical sensing and more efficient LEDs deliver more accurate heart-rate readings. The Series 12 also tracks your heart rate every five seconds throughout the day and HRV as often as every five minutes, compared with every five minutes for heart rate and roughly every two hours for HRV on the Series 11.
The Series 12 also introduces Apple’s Readiness score, which gives you a snapshot of how prepared your body is for the day based on your recent health and activity data. Audio Intelligence is another major addition, though two of its headline features (Live Rewind and Siri Recap) won’t arrive until later this year.
Battery life remains rated for up to 24 hours, but charging is faster. Fifteen minutes delivers up to 12 hours of normal use, and five minutes get you up to 10 hours of sleep tracking. Just about the only feature the Series 11 lacks is satellite connectivity, but if you don’t go off the grid, then it has everything else you need.
Best Battery Life
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Photograph: Boutayna Chokrane
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Photograph: Boutayna Chokrane
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Photograph: Boutayna Chokrane
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Photograph: Boutayna Chokrane
The Ultra 4’s biggest upgrades are its longer battery life, faster charging, and new health-tracking capabilities. It lasts up to 50 hours on a charge—up from 42 hours on the Ultra 3—and up to 84 hours in Low Power Mode. Fast charging gets a boost, with 15 minutes on the charger providing up to 18 hours of normal use and five minutes offering up to 10 hours of sleep tracking. A new Health Sensing System and faster S11 chip enable frequent background heart-rate and HRV tracking, the Readiness score, and Apple’s suite of Audio Intelligence features.