Best Smartwatches of 2026: Picks Matched to Your Phone
The Apple Watch Series 12 leads for iPhone owners who care about health tracking.
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Choosing among the best smartwatches of 2026 starts with your phone, then comes down to how often you are willing to charge and which health features you will actually use. We weighed more than 15 models named in six outlets’ current best-smartwatch lists and picked three that cover the main situations: an iPhone, an Android phone, or a watch that works with both and can run for weeks. They are ranked by our review scores.
At a glance
Buy it if you own an iPhone and want all-day heart tracking with a Readiness score that costs nothing extra.
Buy it if you want an ECG and round-the-clock health tracking in a classic-looking watch you charge every week or few weeks.
Buy it if you use an Android phone and want a watch that can call for help automatically if your pulse stops.
Apple Watch Series 12: Best for iPhone Owners
The rebuilt heart sensor is the reason to buy it. The Series 12 reads your pulse every five seconds through the day, rather than every few minutes, and feeds that data into a Readiness score from 0 to 10 that tells you whether to train hard or rest, with no subscription. The accuracy holds up: on an indoor ride with sprint intervals, Tom’s Guide recorded an average of 109.97 bpm against a chest strap’s 109.89. Engadget names it the best smartwatch overall.
Against the ScanWatch 2, it is the full smartwatch of the two, with apps, payments, built-in GPS and a bright touchscreen, and the trade-off is endurance: Apple rates it at up to 24 hours of normal use. Fast charging softens that, since Apple quotes up to 80% in about 30 minutes. Readiness also needs at least a week of nightly wear, with four or more hours of sleep a night, before the first score; T3 waited about two weeks for its first. It pairs only with an iPhone 11 or later.
Withings ScanWatch 2: Best for Weeks Between Charges
The ScanWatch 2 looks like a plain analog watch, with a steel case, sapphire glass and real hands, and it hides a single-lead ECG that Withings says is FDA-cleared to check for atrial fibrillation, plus blood oxygen, round-the-clock heart rate and temperature. Withings rates the battery at up to 35 days, and how close you get depends on what you switch on: Trusted Reviews ran nearly every feature and worked out closer to 10 days, while Live Science, wearing it day and night, charged it only twice in nearly two months. It is the only pick here that works with both an iPhone and an Android phone.
The Withings app is free to use; health scores and cardiologist reviews of your ECGs come with the paid Withings+ plan.
The trade-off against the two touchscreen picks is in the smart features. Its 0.63-inch screen is too small for much more than a glance at a notification, and there are no payments and no third-party apps. It has no GPS of its own either, so outdoor routes come from your phone, and heart rate is its weakest sensor in hard efforts: Trusted Reviews saw maximum workout readings typically 10 bpm above a chest strap.
Google Pixel Watch 5: Best for Android Phones
The Pixel Watch 5 earns its place with what it does when something goes wrong. Loss of Pulse Detection can call emergency services automatically if the watch detects no pulse, and Google lists it as available in both the US and Canada. Its tracking mostly holds up: on a seven-mile walk, Tom’s Guide found it logged total distance slightly more accurately than the Apple Watch Ultra 3, though in a shorter 4,000-step walk the same outlet saw an oddly slow average pace, and in Android Central’s 5K race it got the distance right without recording the GPS data. Wired calls it its top pick for Android users, and pinch and wrist-twist gestures handle most quick jobs with one hand.
It works with most phones on Android 12 or newer, does the most with a Pixel phone and doesn’t work with an iPhone, so it is the Android counterpart to the Series 12 rather than a rival for the same buyer. Battery life is its main compromise: Google rates the 41 mm at up to 30 hours with the always-on display, and Woman & Home’s tester got less than two full days of regular use, though a full charge on the 41 mm takes about 45 minutes. Google’s Gemini-built health coach needs a Google Health Premium subscription after a free trial, and owners of a Pixel Watch 4 get little from upgrading.
How the Picks Compare
| Apple Watch Series 12 | Withings ScanWatch 2 | Google Pixel Watch 5 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price (USD)Price (CAD) | $399.00$548.99 | $314.49$586.51 (Oct 13) | Deal $299.99 until Nov 8$549.99 |
| Our score | 4.4/5 | 4.2/5 | 4.1/5 |
| Works with | iPhone 11 or later (iOS 27) | iPhone and Android | Android 12 or newer |
| Battery (maker rating, smaller size) | Up to 24 hours; 38 in Low Power Mode | Up to 35 days | Up to 30 hours with always-on display; 48 with Battery Saver |
| Charging (maker rating) | Up to 80% in about 30 minutes | Full in about 2 hours | Full in about 45 minutes (41 mm) |
| Case sizes | 42 mm or 46 mm | 38 mm or 42 mm | 41 mm or 45 mm |
| Display (smaller size) | Always-on OLED, up to 2,000 nits | 0.63-inch PMOLED set into an analog dial | Domed 1.2-inch AMOLED, up to 3,000 nits |
| Built-in GPS | Yes | No (uses your phone) | Yes (dual-frequency) |
| Water resistance | 50 m (ISO 22810:2010) | 5 ATM (50 m) | 5 ATM and IP68 |
| Standout health feature | Heart rate every 5 seconds; Readiness score | FDA-cleared ECG with AFib check | Loss of Pulse Detection |
| Optional subscription | None needed for Readiness | Withings+ (health scores, cardiologist ECG reviews) | Google Health Premium (health coach) |
| Amazon | View on AmazonView on Amazon | View on AmazonView on Amazon | View on AmazonView on Amazon |
Prices are for the smaller case of each watch: the 42 mm GPS Apple Watch Series 12, the 38 mm ScanWatch 2 and the 41 mm Wi-Fi Pixel Watch 5.
Which Smartwatch Works With Your Phone?
This decides more than any feature. An Apple Watch works only with an iPhone, and Wear OS watches such as the Pixel Watch work only with Android phones, though most Android phones will do, whatever the brand: a Samsung phone can run a Pixel Watch, but Tech Advisor found the upgraded smart replies and Proactive Suggestions work only with a Pixel phone. Watches from makers such as Withings work with either, but CNET points out that Apple allows notification replies only on its own watch.
When it matters: if you might switch phones in the next couple of years, or share a watch decision across an iPhone and Android household, the ScanWatch 2 is the one that moves with you.
When it doesn’t: if you are settled on one platform, buy the watch built for it: the Series 12 on an iPhone, the Pixel Watch 5 on Android.
How Often Are You Willing to Charge It?
Most wearables get about a day of battery life, TechRadar notes. The two touchscreen picks are rated in hours and last a day to about two between charges, while the ScanWatch 2 is rated in weeks. The gap matters most for sleep tracking, because a watch on the charger overnight records nothing.
When it matters: if you want every night tracked without building a charging habit, or you travel without packing chargers, the ScanWatch 2 wins outright.
When it doesn’t: if a short top-up while you shower or get ready for bed is easy, fast charging closes much of the gap. Apple says 15 minutes on the charger gives the Series 12 up to 12 hours of normal use.
Will You Pay for a Subscription?
Some smartwatches are moving features behind a subscription, and CNET advises looking at those added costs before you buy. The Series 12’s Readiness score comes with the watch. The ScanWatch 2’s app is free to use, while health scores and cardiologist ECG reviews need Withings+. On the Pixel Watch 5, Google Health Premium unlocks the health coach after three months free for eligible new and returning users.
Withings+ costs $9.95 a month or $99.50 a year (November 2026), with the first month free for new subscribers, and Google Health Premium renews at $9.99 a month after its trial on Google’s US store, about $120 a year at that rate (October 2026).Withings+ costs $9.95 a month or $99.50 a year on Withings’ Canadian store (November 2026), with the first month free for new subscribers, and Google Health Premium renews at $12.99 a month after its trial on Google’s Canadian store, about $156 a year at that rate (October 2026).
When it matters: if you want guidance on what your data means without another monthly bill, the Series 12 gives you the most out of the box.
When it doesn’t: if you mostly want readings and alerts, all three work without a plan.
How We Chose
We started from the current best-smartwatch lists of six outlets: Tom’s Guide, TechRadar, CNET, Wired, ZDNET and Engadget, which between them named more than 15 models. We then judged the candidates on the decisions that split buyers: which phone the watch works with, how long it runs between charges, the health and safety features it offers and what they cost to use, and how its tracking held up in independent tests. Each pick has a full review on our site built from independent editorial tests and maker specifications, and the picks are ordered by those review scores.
Which Smartwatch Should You Buy?
Match the watch to your phone first. On an iPhone, the Apple Watch Series 12 is the strongest all-round buy here, with heart tracking and a Readiness score that make it a genuine health tool as well as a smartwatch. On Android, the Google Pixel Watch 5 brings the same everyday smarts plus safety features that can call for help automatically. And if you would rather wear something that looks like a traditional watch, works with any phone and can keep tracking for weeks between charges, the Withings ScanWatch 2 is the one to choose.
Our picks
Buy it for serious health tracking on an iPhone.
Buy it for health tracking in a classic watch that can run for weeks.
Buy it for safety features and smarts on an Android phone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will these watches work with an older phone?
Does the Pixel Watch 5 need my phone to call for help?
Is the larger Pixel Watch 5 worth it for battery life?
Can the ScanWatch 2 track a run without my phone?
How accurate is the Apple Watch Series 12 in the gym?
Sources
- Tom’s Guide – The best smartwatches
- TechRadar – The best smartwatch 2026
- CNET – Best Smartwatch for 2026
- Wired – Best Smartwatches
- ZDNET – The best smartwatches of 2026
- Engadget – Best Smartwatches for 2026
- Apple – Apple Watch Series 12 Technical Specifications
- Tom’s Guide – Apple Watch Series 12 review
- Tom’s Guide – Apple Watch 12 heart rate accuracy vs a chest strap
- Engadget – Apple Watch Series 12 review
- Withings – ScanWatch 2
- Withings – Withings+
- Live Science – Withings ScanWatch 2 review
- Trusted Reviews – Withings ScanWatch 2 review
- Wareable – Withings ScanWatch 2 review
- Tom’s Guide – Withings ScanWatch 2 review
- Google – Pixel Watch 5 Tech Specs
- Google – What is Loss of Pulse Detection on my Google Pixel Watch?
- Google – Google Health Premium
- Tom’s Guide – Google Pixel Watch 5 review
- Tom’s Guide – Apple Watch Ultra 3 vs Pixel Watch 5 walk test
- Android Central – Google Pixel Watch 5 review
- Tech Advisor – Google Pixel Watch 5 review
- Tom’s Guide – Pixel Watch 5 vs Galaxy Watch 9 step test
- T3 – Apple Watch Series 12 review
- Withings Canada – Withings+
- Google Canada – Google Health Premium
- Woman & Home – Google Pixel Watch 5 review
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