The Apple Watch lineup is the best around, but it may not be right for everyone.
If you’re an iPhone owner, the Apple Watch is likely the best smartwatch available for you.
With the current range, which includes the Series 10, Ultra 2, and SE 2, there’s more choice than ever. Yet, they’re not the only smartwatches you should consider if you have an iPhone.
Regardless of your chosen model, Apple’s smartwatches are typically pricier than those from Garmin, Huawei, Fitbit, and other brands. Plus, there’s the battery issue. For many users, the 1-2 days of battery life isn’t sufficient, and many competitors perform significantly better.
Combine all of this with concerns regarding the brand’s square smartwatch design, and there are plenty of reasons why iPhone users should consider an alternative to the Apple Watch.
Here at Wareable, our reviewers have tested every option on the market. Remember that you won’t find anything from Google, Samsung, or other Wear OS vendors here—they’re limited to Android phones and won’t work with iPhones. However, for our top recommendations to pair with your iPhone, take a look at the options in our list below.
In brief: The best smartwatches for iPhone users
Apple Watch Series 10
The Apple Watch Series 10 is, as you would imagine, an excellent smartwatch for iPhone users.
While Apple is known for its incremental year-on-year changes, its latest iteration marks a significant leap forward, offering thinner, lighter, and larger watches with more expansive, brighter displays.
While aluminum remains the standard, Apple has switched the premium material from stainless steel to titanium and carbon neutral, a welcome change based on our testing. Other enhancements include a louder speaker, a depth and water temperature sensor, a new S10 chip, and slightly faster charging.
Beyond the hardware, the Series 10’s real strength is in the rich ecosystem Apple has built up over the last decade of smartwatch entries. Features like Double Tap gestures, Low Power Mode, ECG readings, cycle tracking, and a robust app store make it a comprehensive smartwatch.
The watchOS 11 update also adds sleep apnea detection, the Vitals app, and advanced training insights, further solidifying its position as the premier smartwatch.
The downsides of choosing the Series 10
However, the Series 10’s remains hamstrung by its ‘single-day’ battery life. Even though the Series 10 will typically last 25-30 hours in moderate and heavy use, there’s still a daily question of when and where you’ll next charge it up. After a while, it can feel choresome.
Additionally, the increased case sizes (42mm/46mm, increased from 41mm/45mm) may not suit everyone, especially those with smaller wrists.
Still, if you can look past those shortcomings, the Series 10 is a compelling package – and a perfect option for those new to Apple smartwatches or upgrading from an older model (Series 6 and below).
Our Apple Watch buyer’s guide can provide more details on whether we still recommend it as we approach the expected annual refresh in September.
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Easier to use -
Lovely finishes -
Sleep apnea detection
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Battery life is still a day -
Huge display is a lot on the wrist
Apple Watch SE (2nd generation)
Best budget watch for iPhone users
The Apple Watch SE (second generation) is still the best option for iPhone users seeking an affordable Apple Watch. However, it is likely to be updated later this year after being skipped over at Apple’s last smartwatch refresh in September 2024.
The package is still fairly comprehensive for the asking price and powerful enough for the latest watchOS 11 software. However, the hardware compromises are clear and easy to understand.
You sacrifice the thinner design, edge-to-edge screen, always-on display, and advanced features like Double Tap, ECG, and temperature sensing.
However, you still get all the incredible sports tracking and activity monitoring features of the more expensive Apple Watch models and all the benefits of the incredible App Store. This helps elevate the device above its competitors.
Apple included the S8 chip in this second-gen version of the SE, too, which ensures that the experience is still very zippy even a few years after the watch’s release.
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Tracking is very accurate -
S8 chip provides very smooth experience -
Superb value
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Battery life hasn’t progressed -
Design is starting to look a little old -
No always-on display
Apple Watch Ultra 2
Best sports watch for iPhone users
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 doesn’t deviate much from the 2022 debut design—other than it is now carbon neutral and contains 95% recycled titanium when paired with a new-gen strap. In 2024, we also received a new black titanium finish.
It boasts a 33% increase in screen brightness from the original, too. The S9 SiP chip delivers a four-core Neural Engine, which enables the brilliant Double Tap gesture control feature and faster Siri response times.
It’s been around 18 months since the Ultra 2 was released, but it remains an incredible smartwatch that solves much of the Series 10’s battery life anxiety. Battery life surpasses Apple’s 36-hour promise, and we found it generally lasted into a third day with moderate-heavy use.
Sports tracking remains potent, as well, with top dual-frequency GPS accuracy and incredibly feature-rich running and cycling modes. We found VO2 max accuracy to be spot on, too. The compass app has been given some new features, and TOPO mapping is a great addition alongside all the new tricks of watchOS 11.
It’s still the best version of the Apple Watch, but owners of the first-gen Ultra won’t have too many reasons to upgrade. And, like the Apple Watch devices above, be aware that it’s in line for a refresh later this year in the form of the Ultra 3.
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Great screen -
Supreme GPS accuracy -
Gestures are cool AF -
Carbon neutral
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Wellness feels a tad stale -
Short on prosumer metrics -
New carbon neutral bands slightly dull
Garmin Venu 3 series
Best Apple Watch alternative
The Garmin Venu 3 is a direct rival to the Apple Watch Series 10, specifically targeting sports and health enthusiasts. It’s a serious alternative to the Apple Watch.
It’s available in two sizes (45mm and 41mm) with options for varied colors and features, including the Sleep Coach and an automatic nap detection mechanism, which personalizes sleep requirements based on numerous metrics.
At its core, the Venu 3 is two things: a sporty fitness tracker and a wellness smartwatch.
Considering it’s a Garmin, it produces quite low-level data for running and cycling, but there are neat insights for activities like HIIT and golf (with 40,000 courses built-in). Just be aware that Garmin has omitted its top-tier Multi-Band mode here, despite some enhanced GNSS functionality and the inclusion of its latest Elevate V5 heart rate sensor.
In-depth metrics such as the new sleep coach, Morning Report, HRV Status, Body Battery, stress tracking, respiration rate, and heart rate, make it a very considered, holistic wearable. It also includes an ECG feature to spot-check heart rhythms for atrial fibrillation (AFib).
Battery life (for the 45mm model) also stretches to 10-14 days, far surpassing what the Apple Watch is capable of.
For all that, it’s no surprise it’s also very expensive—$449.99/£449.99. If that’s too rich for your taste, the Vivoactive 6 (released in early 2025) is also an option for a fraction of the price.
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Wellness features finally feel useful -
Top HR accuracy -
Lovely screen
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Really pricey -
Sports tracking offers basic metrics only -
Some sleep accuracy niggles
Huawei Watch Fit 3
Best budget Apple Watch alternative
The Huawei Watch Fit 3 impressed us as a strong, fitness-oriented budget smartwatch when it launched a couple of years ago. It ushered in a completely new look for Huawei’s entry-level range, with a design that unapologetically emulates the Apple Watch. It’s still an option, though it has now been replaced by the Watch Fit 4 series (which we’re currently putting through testing).
It’s derivative, but it also delivers. Boasting accurate GPS tracking, heaps of sports tracking modes, and a glorious AMOLED screen, it’s a fantastic all-rounder that belies its $170/£129 price tag. It’s not the cheapest smartwatch you can buy, but it’s pretty much the best at this price.
We ran and trained with the Fit 3, and the heart rate accuracy was solid. However, as we always advise, use a chest strap if you are training by heart rate in real time.
It suffers from a lack of an app store, music streaming, or payment services. Yet, for more casual athletes looking for a great value iOS-compatible smartwatch, the Fit 3 gets so much right.
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Good workout tracking -
Lovely price -
Slim and light
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Sleep tracking accuracy could be better -
Basic watch faces and UI design -
Lack of apps/services
Huawei Watch 5 series
Best alternative for classic smartwatch design
The Watch 5 is a high-quality all-rounder smartwatch, offering typically brilliant Huawei hardware and a sports tracking experience that can match a smartwatch like the Apple Watch Series 10.
Unlike the brand’s GT series, the Watch 5’s 42mm and 46mm designs are classic smartwatch ones, and refinements to the steel and titanium case options mean they’re among the best-designed smartwatches we’ve ever tested.
As ever, this flagship line is more focused on health innovations than anything else. In that sense, the Watch 5’s ‘X-Tap’ sensor, located on the side of the case (shown above), offers the most intrigue for this generation.
We found it slightly gimmicky in testing, but there’s no doubt that it’s an interesting employment of dual-sensing tech—and one that does provide better accuracy and speed for measurements than in previous generations.
In typical completeness, the Watch 5 also boasts all of the premium sports features that debuted on last year’s GT line; these make it an excellent fit for golfers, divers, trail runners, and any user who craves thorough and accurate sports tracking.
Still, the lack of a robust ecosystem, particularly in areas such as apps and payments, is noticeable and remains a significant drawback to Apple Watch devices. It can’t be understated how you’re essentially getting a fitness tracker in a smartwatch body here.
Yet, the trade-off for that compromise is much-improved battery life. If you want 10+ days of battery, you will need to forego features like the always-on display, but we were able to consistently achieve 4-5 days in a very power-intensive setup. That makes it a worthy alternative to the Apple Watch.
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Premium design and build quality -
Bright and crisp LTPO display -
Superb AOD battery life
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Limited app ecosystem remains -
Not top-level workout HR accuracy -
X-Tap sensor feels more novel than essential
Garmin Fenix 8
Best outdoor sports watch alternative
The Garmin Fenix 8 is the latest addition to the popular sports watch range. It brings the best of the brand’s tracking smarts and rugged design specs into one premium package.
The range comprises solar-powered and AMOLED editions, with the latter the same display tech found in the Apple Watch range. There are also multiple case size variations, display glass choices, and finishes to choose between.
The Fenix 8 is defined by its insane array of sports tracking modes, top-notch analytics, mapping on the wrist, training estimates, and recovery insights. It’s incredibly comprehensive and a superb fit for mega-active users—backed up by class-leading AMOLED battery efficiency.
Even with the always-on display enabled, the Fenix 8 consistently lasts seven days, and power-saving modes can help you stretch that to multiple weeks. In this regard, it’s in a different league to the Apple Watch and goes into another stratosphere if you choose the solar-powered model.
The only areas where the Fenix 8 tracking falters slightly are in the presentation of stress and the accuracy of sleep assessments – but even Apple isn’t much better in this regard. It’s also somewhat limited as a smartwatch. You get support for integrations like Spotify, but there’s no LTE or full-fledged app store support like you’ll get with Apple.
But, in short, the Fenix 8 is the closest we’ve seen to a no-compromise sports watch – even if it comes with a price tag that eclipses most rivals. As a cheaper alternative, don’t rule out the Garmin Fenix 7 Pro or Epix Pro, either – both of which you can now find great discounts on.
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Great AMOLED battery life -
Class-leading mapping and navigation support -
A more thoughtful approach to strength training
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It’s a lot more expensive than the Fenix 7 Pro -
Core performance not too dissimilar to previous Fenix -
Heart rate tracking during exercise still not flawless
Withings ScanWatch 2
Best hybrid smartwatch alternative
If your eye has been caught by the advanced health-tracking capabilities of the Apple Watch Series 10, then the ScanWatch 2 is an acceptable alternative.
The key difference is that the ScanWatch 2 is an analog watch that hides its smarts away. There is a small screen: a monochrome OLED panel with basic stats and notifications on the dial.
In terms of features, strong heart rate tracking, sleep monitoring, and ECG for detecting Afib round out a health-focused smartwatch. We achieved good accuracy and gained numerous insights during testing.
Moreover, ScanWatch 2 will look for breathing issues during sleep and detect high/low heart rates. It will also still track workouts and even GPS if you take your phone along with you.
We did find a few issues. Automatic workout detection is poor, and sleep accuracy lagged behind Oura and Whoop. And, of course, you don’t get things like payments or apps.
Yet, the 30-day battery life is also the antithesis of a single day on Apple Watch. If you don’t want a computer on the wrist, the ScanWatch 2 is a powerful and discreet health smartwatch.
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Solid and sleek design -
Top battery life -
Breathing and temp data
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Insights slightly lagging rivals -
Sleep data not best in class -
Rogue workout detection
Amazfit Active 2
Another budget alternative for iPhone users
If cost is your main issue with the Apple Watch lineup, then the Amazfit Active 2—new for 2025—is a must-consider smartwatch.
The brand also offers the Bip 6 for those who prefer a square-case design, but the $99 Active 2 represents incredible value for money. It boasts full offline mapping, an AI-powered assistant, and plenty of workout insights.
We still had the odd issue with heart rate tracking accuracy during workouts, though you can pair external monitors to remedy this. The Active 2 also performed solidly in GPS-tracked outdoor workouts.
It lacks hardcore health insights, but elements like sleep tracking and readiness insights consistently matched the likes of Oura and Garmin in our review. The Zepp Health app is also an ever-improving place to review your data.
The battery life has reduced for this generation, which is a bit of a shame, but it still blows the Apple Watch out of the water in this regard. Even with the always-on display enabled (and with relatively heavy GPS usage), we found it could last four or five days before needing a recharge.
While not a looker, the Active 2 is still slim, light, and comfortable despite a significant redesign for this second generation. Plus, the full AMOLED display offers good usability in a package that far surpasses the asking price.
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There are tons of features for the price -
Full mapping and ability to pair external sensors -
Smart features and fitness tracking works well
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The makeover won’t appeal to everybody -
Software lagging is still present -
Heart rate accuracy is still not great
Key considerations when choosing an iPhone-ready watch
1. Battery life
The Apple Watch’s Achilles heel is battery life, and Apple only promises 18 hours between charges (although we usually get closer to 36 hours). You might be surprised to learn that it’s a relative outlier in this regard.
Most smartwatches offer a week or more away from the charger, a considerable draw away from Apple’s smartwatch. However, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 will last around three days if you’re willing to part with more money.
2. Price
Apple Watch pricing starts at $269/£299 for the SE (2nd gen) and $399/£419 for the Series 10. The Apple Watch Ultra 2 costs a whopping $799/£849.
Alternatives are available for less than $99/£99, albeit with severe features and screen tech sacrifices. However, quality Apple Watch alternatives are available for under $200/£200, should you want to keep costs down.
3. Apps and iOS
The Apple Watch is one of the few smartwatches with a burgeoning App Store, and no rival in this aspect that will work with the iPhone.
By opting for an Apple Watch alternative, you might miss out on your favorite third-party services, such as Spotify, Google Maps, or your favorite workout-tracking app. That also extends to features like Apple Pay or LTE, which Apple does better than its rivals.
