The best smartwatches of 2026

These are the best smartwatches right now:

• Polar Ignite 3: stylish smartwatch focused on wellbeing and recovery.
• Garmin Venu 3S: best sports watch for smaller wrists.
• Samsung Galaxy Fit 3: best activity tracker.
• Xiaomi Redmi Watch 5 Active: budget-friendly smartwatch with a wide range of features.
• Samsung Galaxy Watch9: best smartwatch for Samsung users.
• Apple Watch Ultra 4: rugged smartwatch for extreme sports.
• Apple Watch Series 12: best smartwatch for health and safety features.
• Apple Watch SE 3: budget-friendly Apple Watch.
• Google Pixel Watch 5: user-friendly smartwatch with Google Gemini.
• Polar Street X: best smartwatch for a variety of sports and workouts.

The Garmin Venu 3S delivers strong performance in a refined design that suits smaller wrists. This Garmin smartwatch helps you track both daily wellbeing and workouts. Multi-constellation GPS provides accurate location tracking. The scratch-resistant AMOLED display and water-resistant build make it suitable for intensive training. Monitor your health in detail with heart rate, stress and sleep tracking, plus blood oxygen measurement. During exercise, choose from a wide range of sport profiles to track every activity. Stay connected via your Garmin smartwatch with smartphone notifications and contactless payments. The battery lasts several days for longer use between charges.

Pros and cons:
+ Extensive health monitoring, including stress and blood oxygen levels.
+ Contactless payments with Garmin Pay.
- No mobile connectivity without a paired smartphone.

The Xiaomi Redmi Watch 5 Active is a versatile smartwatch with excellent value for money. The large LCD stays readable even in bright sunlight, and the light, comfortable design is practical for daily wear. With more than 140 sport modes, it tracks all your workouts accurately, from walking to high-intensity sessions. Dual microphones with noise reduction make Bluetooth calls clear, even in noisy environments. With sensors like a gyroscope, accelerometer and compass, it monitors health and activity precisely. Personalise it with 200+ watch faces and interchangeable straps. Compatible with Android and iOS, it lasts up to 18 days on a single charge and is water-resistant for worry-free training in any weather.

Pros and cons:
+ Versatile smartwatch with a wide range of useful features.
+ Up to 18 days of battery life on a single charge.
- No built-in GPS.

The Apple Watch Ultra 4 is designed for intensive workouts and adventures in challenging conditions. Its durable titanium case, sapphire crystal and water resistance up to 100 metres make the smartwatch suitable for various sports, from running to recreational diving. Thanks to its accurate dual-frequency GPS, your location and distance travelled are tracked precisely, even in environments with many obstacles. The Ultra 4 measures your heart rate in the background every 5 seconds and your heart rate variability (HRV) every 5 minutes. This gives you detailed insights into your fitness and recovery, even outside your workouts. The new Readiness score uses these vital signs, your sleep and recent activity to indicate how well your body is prepared for physical activity.

Pros and cons:
+ Durable smartwatch that withstands knocks and bumps.
+ Detailed insights into your fitness and recovery.
- The 49 mm case may feel large on smaller wrists.

The Apple Watch SE 3 is a budget-friendly Apple Watch model that offers the essential Apple Watch features. The smartwatch tracks your sleep and measures your wrist temperature at night, giving you more insight into your health. With the Vitals app, you can check important health data and see when certain measurements fall outside your usual range. You can receive messages, make calls and use Siri with Apple Intelligence directly from your wrist. The Apple Watch SE 3 also features fall and crash detection, as well as the convenient Check In feature, which lets you inform others when you've arrived safely at your destination.

Pros and cons:
+ Supports Apple Intelligence.
+ Bright Always-On display.
- Only compatible with iPhone 11 or newer.

The Polar Street X is a rugged sports watch designed for an active lifestyle. Its 1.28-inch AMOLED display with Gorilla Glass 3 remains easy to read even in bright sunlight. With over 170 sports profiles, including running, cycling and strength training, you can track your performance across a wide range of sports, while the built-in GPS records your routes and distances travelled. The LED flashlight has a white light to illuminate your surroundings and a red light to help preserve your night vision. Continuous heart rate monitoring and sleep tracking also provide insights into your fitness and recovery. With up to 10 days of battery life in smartwatch mode, you won't need to charge the Polar smartwatch frequently.

Pros and cons:
+ Up to 10 days of battery life in smartwatch mode.
+ LED flashlight with night vision-friendly lighting.
- No NFC for contactless payments.