Pick a Watch That Works With Your Phone

Naturally, the first thing you'll want to consider when buying a smartwatch is compatibility.

All Apple Watch models run watchOS, Apple's smartwatch operating system, and connect strictly to iOS-powered devices, meaning they're iPhone-only. The Series 7, Apple's latest flagship model, requires an iPhone 6s or later, running iOS 15 or later.

Samsung's latest smartwatches, the Galaxy Watch4 and Watch4 Classic, run the new Wear OS platform, and only work with Android. They require a smartphone running Android 6.0 or later with 1.5GB of RAM, a departure from 2020's Watch3, which also worked with iPhones.

All the other models on this list work with both Android and iOS smartphones

What Should You Pay for a Smartwatch?
Smartwatches might be costly, but that doesn't mean you have to spend a lot of cash to obtain a nice one. Yes, the $1,229 Apple Watch Hermès will get a lot of attention, but you could get five Fitbits for that amount.

If you're buying a smartwatch for the first time, you might want to consider opting with a less expensive option in case you don't use it very often. The $20 Wyze Watch and the $159 OnePlus Watch are two inexpensive choices, but before you invest your money on either, read our evaluations to understand their limits.