Best smartwatches for the iPhone in 2023

Smartwatches aren’t just gadgets; they’re a step towards a more efficient and well-balanced lifestyle. Offering an ingenious blend of technology and fashion, they have become a game-changer in enhancing our daily lives. From fitness tracking and heart rate monitoring to instant notifications and music control, you have everything by the wrist.

Nonetheless, so many options might be confusing, especially if you are an Apple user concerned about getting the right smartwatch for an iPhone. While Apple watches are a straightforward answer, there are other third-party smartwatches as well, offering you better durability and functionality.

Our Top Picks for Best Smartwatches for iPhone in 2023

The Apple Watch Series 8 is one of the smartest gadgets ever produced, offering a smooth and seamless experience towards fitness and communication side-by-side. The Series 8 is just what an average Apple user would be looking for at neither a too-high price tag nor too low. Packed with a 36-hour battery backup, WR50 water resistance, and IP6X dust certification.

Let’s talk about the design first. The Series 8 is crack resistant, which means your watch is protected in case of a fall. Coming with an Aluminum Case, it’s not only strong but lightweight too. Apple offers it in 2 variants of 41mm and 45mm allowing you a better choice based on the size of your wrist. Pairing the perfectly sized watch with a super comfortable band is a great way to start your smartwatch journey.

You’ll be amazed by the Always-on Retina LTPO OLED display coming in at 1000 nits. Besides, the Sapphire crystal glass, followed by a vibrant resolution of 484×396 pixels, brings the next-level view. Although this isn’t the top model offered by Apple, it’s no less than any other luxury.

With top-of-the-line tech induced in this watch, Apple has many eyes wide open. Smart features like crash detection, fall detection, temperature sensing, ECG check, and enhanced workout applications ensure you stay well-protected and on top of your wellness goals. Best of all: There’s support for cellular connectivity, which eliminates the need for having your phone with you at all times.

It’s also noteworthy that the Series 8 features a 5-point positioning system allowing for a better experience and accuracy. With so much offered in a mid-range price tag, it definitely suits the mass majority of people looking to invest in a smartwatch.

If you are someone who does not compromise on quality, the Apple Watch Ultra is the finest of all. It is larger than any other watch in the market, offering cellular connectivity, sport-focused bands, a special Wayfinder watch face, and a whole range of other innovative features.

To start off, the Ultra features a titanium body followed by a flat sapphire crystal face. It gives away an elegant look and adds to the durability factor by balancing between weight, robustness, and resistance to corrosion. The watch has also passed the MIL-STD 810H test, which guarantees protection against extreme temperatures, moisture, and numerous other intense environmental conditions.

What’s even more outstanding about this watch is the Always‑On Retina display at 2000 nits marking another level of premium. The watch is loaded with a bunch of other features, including dual speakers, a siren with a 600-feet sound exposure, a GPS antenna, a depth gauge, and several applications for tracking physical activities. To top it off, the watch is loaded with a powerful battery offering 36 hours of regular use and a whopping 60-hour backup on low-power settings.

By far, this is one of the best Apple watches in the market for its exceptional strength, productivity features, and state-of-the-art technology. It does come with a hefty price tag, and adding an extra layer of protection with a case can go far in keeping your smartwatch safe, but for what it’s worth, it truly is a marvel piece of technology worth the impressive value.

There’s always this sense of trust when it comes to official products, and for that reason, the top 2 of our picks are official Apple products. While it may not be the best, it surely is one of the finest budget picks since it offers 70% features offered in Apple Watch Ultra and is quite identical to Apple Watch Series 8.

The second-generation Apple Watch SE maintains the 44mm and 40mm case options and retains the display size of its predecessors. Offering a resolution of 368×448 pixels, you won’t feel like making a compromise on the display. The Retina LTPO OLED display itself is indeed a cool aspect to many users.

However, it offers half the brightness of the Apple Watch Ultra at 1000 nits. It isn’t really bad unless you are really looking forward to using your watch in extreme lighting conditions.

The real improvement lies within the processor as Apple Watch SE 2 comes with S8 SiP with a 64-bit dual-core processor. This is followed by W3 Apple Wireless Chip as well. A few tests have shown a 20% improvement in the performance and speed of the Apple Watch SE 2 compared to its predecessors.

The 36-hour battery life is a little less compared to other watches. However, considering all other aspects, including fitness tracking and emergency crash detection, the Apple Watch SE 2 is a reasonable bargain for someone wanting an Apple product on a budget.

An Apple product is not necessarily better than other alternatives available, and this difference is obvious when it comes to Garmin Venu 2. With an impressive battery timing of 11 days, charged to full in just 1 hour, it surely brings in all the juice you need. If that amazes you, wait till you hear about other amazing features of this smartwatch.

First off, it offers the best fitness tracking support, which allows you to monitor stress levels, hydration, respiration, intensity minutes, and numerous other aspects. It even monitors women-specific health concerns, including menstrual cycles and pregnancy timelines. Apart from that, Venu 2 is a valuable resource for people having sleep-related issues as it specifically identifies sleeping patterns to offer you precisely curated solutions.

The outside of the watch is as good as the inside. Garmin Venu 2 watch has a Fibre-reinforced polymer case followed by an AMOLED display and Corning Gorilla Glass 3 lens. The stainless steel bezel adds a touch of sophistication along with a cozy silicone band for ultimate comfort.

Venu 2 offers a highly personalized experience to users, making it one of the best ones for runners. From offering personalized workouts to enhanced safety features, this watch sets a new benchmark for its competitors.

The Fitbit Charge 5 is one of the best fitness trackers on the market and is an ideal choice for someone looking to spend minimally on a smartwatch. However, that doesn’t mean you are compromising on any major element. A 7-day battery backup followed by several fitness tracking parameters makes it quite simple for any user to stay engaged in their wellness journey.

The fact that this watch has ECG supported is kind of unbelievable, noticing the fairly lower price point. It also tracks the trends in your wellness and health aspects by monitoring heart rate variation, breathing rate, pulse rate, and numerous other indicators.

You’ll also notice extra applications offered in this watch to enhance the user experience. Smart notifications, Find My Phone, Silent Alarms, and Smart Wakeup are just a few to name.

However, Charge 5 makes its way down the list because users aren’t really impressed by the 14.7mm x 21.9mm screen size. Besides, the user interface itself isn’t neat. Only one of nine metrics is visible at one time, and to access the next metric, a tap is required. Imagine: While you are running, the small screen size makes the text illegible. It just eliminates the point of convenience.

Another downside to this watch is it does not have support for Spotify or music streaming, unlike other popular smartwatches in the market. Overall, it isn’t really bad as a smartwatch, given the low price point. It does fulfill the basic purpose of health and fitness tracking.

The Amazfit T-Rex Ultra is the top choice for rugged smartwatches. It is built to conquer extreme conditions as it amplifies durability with 15 military-grade tests and a remarkable 20-day battery life.

Starting off, the watch is known for its durability and toughness. Made with 316L Stainless Steel, it will resist sudden jerks and impacts against other objects without compromising on the structure. Besides, the mud-resistant hardware provides an extra advantage to people involved in extreme sports.

These worldly claims have been verified with military-grade tests that approve this watch under extreme 158℉ (70℃) heat and -40℉ (-40℃) cold as well. On top of that, you also have support for offline maps and Dual-band GPS tracking making it an ideal choice for your survival gear.

Along with all of that, the watch features automatic workout detection for up to 25 activities to ensure your physical activity is tracked accordingly. You can also dive 30 meters with the Amazfit T-Rex Ultra, as it features a bright AMOLED display and 100m water resistance for clear underwater data.

As for the resolution, AmazFit T-Rex Ultra features 454×454 px on a 1.39-inch display. The watch brings up a peak brightness of 1,000 nits, suitable for most environmental conditions. In a nutshell, it truly is one fine piece of equipment showing exceptional craft and sophistication at every angle.

Xiaomi Mi Band 7 is a significant improvement to the predecessor with 25% more viewing area, 100 levels of brightness adjustment, and a bigger 1.62 inches AMOLED display. The resolution for this watch is 192 x 490 pixels which is much lower compared to several other watches.

But there’s more to it that compensates for the lower resolution. With the incorporation of a modern 6-axis sensor and a 3-axis gyroscope PPG heart rate sensor, Band 7 excels in fitness tracking by providing accurate motion data and precise heart rate measurements.

There are over 110 fitness modes to choose from, along with 5 auto-detection modes. SpO₂ tracking, Sleep tracking, and female health tracking are also some of the notable features. Ideally, all this sounds too much for something that barely costs you a few bucks, but it does work well.

Coming to the not-so-good aspects, the Mi Band 7 lacks GPS and NFC support. You’ll have to forget the location tracking and contactless payment capabilities. The concerns regarding quality are still there for a Chinese brand despite the improvement by Xiaomi over time. Besides, it just offers brightness levels at 500 nits. Comparing that with the best pick, Apple Watch Ultra, it’s 4X less. But then again, for a small budget, these issues are something you would be willing to compromise on. It’s simple yet smart, making it down on our list.

Choosing the Right Smartwatch for Your iPhone

Picking the right smartwatch depends on factors like your lifestyle, desired features, and budget. Consider what you’ll mainly use it for – fitness tracking, notifications, or even controlling music. A watch like the Apple Series 8 is truly an exceptional companion for all such needs fulfilling every aspect while expanding on the concept of durability too.

However, some people might want a more premium watch, for example, the Apple Watch Ultra. It matches the exact definition of “Luxury Redefined.” Being an all-in-one package loaded with all essential features as well as extras, it’s specially designed for high-end users like professional athletes. However, not everybody has a high budget to afford an expensive gadget.

Switching to budget-friendly alternatives isn’t really a bad idea, especially when the difference in quality is minimal. For example, the Apple Watch SE 2 is a much cheaper option that offers quite similar features. But as you can see from this round-up of smartwatches, you aren’t locked into using only wearables from Apple as an iPhone user. While those smartwatches offer integrations third-party options can’t, brands like Garmin, Amazfit, and others can provide unique features Apple doesn’t.

All in all, it really comes down to your requirements, as well as the budget you have in hand.