Best smartwatch for iPhone: Apple Watch, Wear OS and everything else
So you want a smartwatch to use with your iPhone? The great news is there are a lot of choices right now packed full of interesting features while also sporting luxurious designs that will ensure your wrist always looks fashionable.
The bad news is you're going to have a very hard decision to make choosing the best smartwatch to use with your iPhone. Things have moved quickly in the smartwatch space since the release of the original Apple Watch in 2015.
We've had an updated version called the Apple Watch 2 that was quickly discarded in favor of the newly-released Apple Watch 3. There's now even the Apple Watch 4 that comes sporting an edge-to-edge display, new sizes and an ECG heart monitor.
On top of that, there's a plethora of other smartwatches that also play nice with your iPhone including Google's own Wear OS.
To help you decide, we've made a guide to explain which watches will work with your iOS device. We've also recommended our favorite watches and highlighted why each is a great companion for your iPhone.
- Our definitive wristwear ranking: check out the best smartwatch roundup
What watch should you use with your iPhone?
Although Wear OS and Tizen - a rival OS to Apple and Google - watches work with iPhones, the best watches right now are the Apple Watch 4 and Apple Watch 3.
Both of these devices are tailored for the iPhone experience, with watchOS working perfectly with iOS, so it makes sense to buy one of these. There's also the Apple Watch 2 and Series 1, which we'll explain more about down below.
You can get a selection of both Tizen and Wear OS watches that work with the iPhone too, and we've put together the list below to show you the best for battery life, features and style on the market right now.
For all the options below, you'll need an iPhone 5S or later that's running iOS 12 software to ensure you'll get all of the benefits of owning a smartwatch.
Best Apple Watch: what are the choices?
The very best Apple Watch you can buy is the brand new Apple Watch Series 4 that was announced in September 2018 alongside the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR.
You won't receive it until September 21, but it's up for pre-order now and it comes with 1.78-inch OLED display that's notably larger than we've seen on any watch from the company before.
We particularly like that the speaker is now louder, it still sports a premium yet lightweight design and the new ECG heart rate tech looks to be an exciting upgrade too (although we haven't been able to properly test this yet).
All in all, if you're after an Apple Watch the fourth iteration is going to be the best that money can buy right now. It may be expensive, but if you want a top-end smartwatch that can work away from your phone (only the LTE version) the Apple Watch 4 is designed for you.
Read our full Apple Watch 4 review
The Apple Watch 3 was of course the best smartwatch to use with an iPhone... but it's not the best anymore. Even though you can now buy the Apple Watch 4, this is still a fantastic smartwatch.
The Series 3 has a bright, high-quality screen, built-in GPS, waterproofing, optical heart rate monitoring and well over a day of battery life, plus all the things that make the Apple Watch 2 great, like a stylish design, water resistance and enough fitness features to cater to most users.
It’s a great all-rounder then, with style and substance, suited to both the office and the gym. There’s even an LTE model – though at a higher price. And of course, being an Apple Watch, it works perfectly with iPhone.
Read our full Apple Watch 3 review
There's a lot going for the Apple Watch 2. It's water-resistant, which means it's more durable than many of the other devices on this list and you won't have to worry about getting it wet in the rain when you're out for a jog.
With GPS onboard and watchOS 5 software running on it, if you own an iPhone this is a great choice, and a touch more affordable than the Apple Watch 3 or 4.
Apple itself has stopped selling it, so the Watch 2 is now hard to find and often if you do spot it at a third-party retailer it'll be around the same price or sometimes even more expensive than the watch just above this one.
Read our full Apple Watch 2 review
Perhaps you're looking for an Apple Watch, but want something a little more affordable? Fitness features are a little more limited as there's no GPS sensor like there is in the Apple Watch 2, 3 and 4, but the original Apple Watch does cost a lot less.
If you buy the original Apple Watch you're less likely to be supported for as long as if you buy a more up to date Apple wearable, but if budget is a deal breaker than it may be worth it for you with that cheaper price.
Read the full Apple Watch review
- Know you want an Apple Watch? Here's our guide on how to buy an Apple Watch
Wear OS and Tizen watches
A variety of other devices work with your iPhone too. We've listed them below including watches that are running both Wear OS and Tizen software.
Earlier this year, Google renamed its Android Wear platform to Wear OS and said a good amount of the most recent devices running the software will be toting the new name in the coming months.
It's all an effort from Google to make it clear these watches run just as well on iPhone, and you don't need to own an Android device to have one of these on your wrist.
There's also Tizen as well, which Samsung uses for its smartwatches and that plays nice with iPhone now as well. Below you'll find a selection of our favorite Wear OS and Tizen watches.
Samsung's latest smartwatch is our favorite money can buy right now, but it's not our favorite to recommend alongside an iPhone. We found the Galaxy Watch to work best with Samsung phones, but if you own an iPhone it'll still work really well and will offer top-end fitness features alongside its premium look.
We particularly like the design of the larger Galaxy Watch, but you have the choice of either a 46mm or 42mm build. Each will sit large on your wrist but also offer a big, bright display.
Opt for the LTE version and you'll be able to get phone calls and notifications when you're on the move too. The rotating bezel around the outside is one of the main highlights, and the 46mm version also comes with four days of battery life from a single charge.
It may not be the best smartwatch to work with your iPhone, but it is still a fantastic choice if you like the design and look of the Galaxy Watch from Samsung.
Read the full Samsung Galaxy Watch review
Our favorite Wear OS watch is the Ticwatch Pro, which you can use easily with your iPhone. Ticwatch is a little known brand so far, but this watch comes with two different displays that helps it stand out from the rest of the crowd.
There's a transparent LCD display at the top with a full color OLED panel below it. That means you can get a full Wear OS watch experience with the Ticwatch Pro, but when the battery dies off you can then still get some details like heart rate, date and time through the secondary display.
That's a great feature - but there's lots else to love here including GPS, NFC for Google Pay and the Snapdragon Wear 2100 chipset we've seen in almost all the Wear OS watches on this list.
The best part is the lower price than a lot of other top-end smartwatches, which makes this one of the best Wear OS choices to use alongside your iPhone.
Read the full Ticwatch Pro review
The Ticwatch E (Express Series) offers a host of marquee features for a very modest price tag. The Wear OS watch brings a wealth of options from the Google Play Store and includes a heart rate sensor and built-in GPS.
It’s less fitness-focused than some of the other watches in our list, but there is an Apple Watch-like activity ring to help you stay in-touch with your daily movements.
Most folks will find the design either cheap or charming and we lean towards the latter. There’s no NFC though, which will be a deal-breaker for people hoping to use Google Pay from their wrist.
Read the full Ticwatch E review
The Misfit Vapor sees the company graduate from wristbands to a fully-fledged Wear OS smartwatch, complete with Google Assistant onboard.
It’s a happy medium for those interested in fitness, but will only suit those who don't need the super advanced features of a Garmin Forerunner or other running watch. There’s an always-on display and a standalone music player, which negates the need to bring your phone along for the ride.
Unfortunately, it only packs connected GPS, so you will need your phone if you’re trying to accurately track your run. As with the Ticwatch E, there’s no NFC so you won’t be able to use Google Pay.
Read the full Misfit Vapor review
Another from that little known brand Ticwatch here, and it's a remarkably similar device to the one you've read about above in this list.
The Ticwatch S is a slightly more expensive version of the watch but it comes with the GPS sensor built into the band rather than the casing itself. The company claims that should make it more accurate, but we didn't notice any stark differences.
It's comfortable to wear the watch that offers Wear OS and although the price is higher than the Ticwatch E, this is still one of the more affordable watches you'll find on this list.
Read the full Ticwatch S review
One of the first watches to come with the second version of Android Wear onboard, the LG Watch Style now totes Wear OS and is one of the best-looking devices you can use alongside your iPhone.
The design of the LG Watch Style is on point as it's one of the thinnest smartwatches on the market, sporting a sleek metal build.
Our only complaint is the battery life on the LG Watch Style, but if you're happy to recharge your device every day or so this won't cause a major problem for you.
Read the full LG Watch Style review
Other alternatives
There are quite a few devices you can use with your iPhone including some running Fitbit OS and others that you may not even refer directly to as a smartwatch. Read on about them all below:
A second attempt at the smartwatch from Fitbit has seen the brand create one of its best devices in years. The Fitbit Versa is slimmer and smaller on your wrist than an Apple Watch, but offers a lot of great fitness features including swim tracking and HIIT coaching.
The watch is also cheaper than Fitbit's other watch called the Ionic (which you'll find coming up in this list) making it an attractive option for your wallet as well as your wrist.
Fitbit OS isn't as fully fledged as the Wear OS or Apple Watch devices above in this list as there are still a limited amount of apps available to you, but if you want to have a watch as a fashion piece and focus on the fitness elements you'll enjoy the Versa.
It allows you to listen to music on the move, plus you have Fitbit Pay so you can do contactless payments when you're out jogging too. Our main gripe with the Versa is the lack of GPS technology, but if you plan to exercise with your phone in your pocket or strapped to your arm it's unlikely you'll find this to be an issue.
Read the full Fitbit Versa review
Fitbit’s answer to the Apple Watch’s fitness threat piles all of its best fitness-tracking features into a highly functional smart timepiece.
There’s GPS, continued heart rate tracking, excellent multi-day battery life and the ability to track multiple activities.
That being said, the Fitbit Ionic runs off the bespoke Fitbit OS so it doesn’t offer the full fat smartwatch features of watchOS or Wear OS.
There’s also a shortage of apps available right now, you can download around 300 songs and connect Bluetooth headphones for phone-free exercise. Also, the design’s a bit controversial and very much has the look of a first-gen smartphone.
Read the full Fitbit Ionic review
If you’re seeking a powerful fitness companion rather than a wearable extension of your smartphone, they don’t come much better than the Garmin Forerunner 735XT.
The multi-sport GPS watch, designed with triathletes in mind, features an optical heart rate sensor and reams of deep data insights into your performance.
Runners, for example, will glean metrics like ground contact time, balance, stride length, vertical ratio and much more. There’s a VO2 max estimator, race predictor and recovery adviser too.
Read the full Garmin Forerunner 735XT review
Nokia’s rebranding of the Withings Steel HR arrived in late 2017 and, barring some slight design and software tweaks, it’s the same great hybrid smart fitness watch with a new name.
It features a built-in digital display that’ll show your heart rate in real time, as well as step progress and limited smartphone notifications. It has the neat analogue dial showing process towards a daily movement goal and can automatically track activities like running and swimming.
There’s no GPS so you can’t expect hyper-accurate distance tracking, but the Nokia Steel HR is still a fantastic, stylish watch with great battery life that you can wear around the clock.
Read the full Nokia Steel HR review
Looking for a smart running watch?
You should also check out our extensive range of devices to help you run - in our cunningly named best running watches round up - as many of these offer incredibly battery life as well as smart notifications from your wrist.
For instance, the Garmin Forerunner 935 will last almost 10 days on a single charge while running every day, allow you to take or reject calls and control your music - plus it's one of the most gifted exercise companions we've seen.
So if you're thinking of getting fitter - check out the burgeoning world of running devices to help you out.
