The Apple Watch Ultra is a bloated Apple Watch Series 8, but it has a sturdy titanium construction, a larger 49mm case and a new Action button to quickly start workouts or launch apps . It has an incredibly bright screen, capable of reaching a maximum of 2,000 nits, making it incredibly easy to see during outdoor adventures. It also has a built-in siren for safety and dual-band GPS to accurately track your route. LTE is also built in so you can go phone-free and stay connected.

Although many of its main hardware and software features are aimed at adventurers and athletes, it’s still a fantastic all-around smartwatch. Microphones help reduce wind noise during calls, and you get the same health and fitness tracking features as other Apple Watches, including a blood oxygen sensor, electrocardiogram app (ECG or EKG), fall detection and emergency SOS. The battery also lasts at least twice as long as all other Apple Watch models. But it’s only compatible with the iPhone, so if you have an Android phone, you’ll want to look at another option on this list.

Read our Apple Watch Ultra review.

The Apple Watch Series 8 may not be as adventure-focused as the Apple Watch Ultra, but it still features a dust and crack resistant design, a blood oxygen and ECG sensor and is available in sizes 41 and 45 mm. You can also choose a cellular or LTE model that lets you take calls and respond to messages from your wrist without your phone, though it costs extra.

It also has a new temperature sensor that can be used for applications such as ovulation tracking. But battery life typically lasts 18 hours with typical use, less than many of its competitors.

Read our Apple Watch Series 8 review.

The Garmin name has long been synonymous with fitness tracking, but many of the company’s earlier watches didn’t quite look or feel quite as “smart”. The Venu 2 has a sleek, round design with a bright display that’s easy to see in bright sunlight. It’s also compatible with Android and iOS, has great in-depth fitness features like comprehensive workout tracking, body battery that tells you if you need to work out or take a day off, and fitness tracking. women’s health. It can also take blood oxygen levels and the battery will last several days with moderate use.

The downside is that it doesn’t have as many smart features as other watches on this list, including no LTE or cellular connectivity. If you want an onboard speaker and mic to talk to your voice assistant or take quick calls on your wrist while your phone is within reach, take a look at the new $450 Garmin Venu 2 Plus. It only comes in one 43mm size but shares all the same features with the original Venu 2 and 2S.

Read our Garmin Venu 2 review.

Google’s first Pixel Watch wants to tackle the Apple Watch head-on. For the most part, it succeeds thanks to a sleek, curved design and a range of health sensors, including an ECG app and blood oxygen tracking. It has a suite of fitness tracking and analysis features through the Fitbit app and accurate heart rate tracking.

Be warned, the battery isn’t as powerful as the other options on this list and you’ll likely find yourself charging this watch every day, especially if you like to do outdoor GPS workouts and track your sleep. It is also only available in one size of 41mm.

Read our Google Pixel Watch review.

The Galaxy Watch 5 and Samsung’s Watch 5 Pro are some of the best Wear OS watches you can get right now. They have longer-lasting batteries than last year’s Galaxy Watch 4 models and plenty of fitness tracking features. Google apps including YouTube Music, Google Assistant and Google Maps are available, with many other apps accessible through the Play Store. Samsung is also bringing cycle tracking to the Galaxy Watch 5 and Watch 5 Pro by partnering with Natural Cycles.

However, you need a Galaxy phone to use ECG, but all other features work seamlessly with other Android phones. Both watches lack the classic physical rotating bezel, one of the signature features of Samsung’s Galaxy Watch and Gear watches of years past.

Read our Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 review.

If you’ve never owned an Apple Watch, this is the one for you. The second-generation Apple Watch SE is a cheaper alternative to the Series 8, but has plenty of great features, including collision detection, heart rate monitoring, and water resistance. It lacks health sensors like ECG, blood oxygen, and temperature sensing like the Series 8, but the most noticeable difference between the two is that the SE doesn’t have an always-on display. But you might not miss it if you’ve never had this smartwatch feature.

Read our Apple Watch SE review.

The Versa 3 is compatible with iOS and Android phones and lets you choose between Alexa or Google Assistant as your voice assistant of choice. It doesn’t offer all the smart apps and features of some of its competitors, but it’s a full-featured smartwatch with plenty of health and fitness features to keep you on track, like GPS built-in and live heart rate zone notifications. It has the best sleep tracking feature on this list and even gives you health features including a breakdown of your SpO2 and body temperature data overnight (Fitbit Premium users). There’s a newer version, the Fitbit Versa 4, but we haven’t fully reviewed that watch yet, so stay tuned.

Read our Fitbit Versa 3 review.

The second-generation Garmin Epix features sturdy titanium construction and a long list of features athletes crave, including expanded mapping capabilities. It also has a bright AMOLED display that sets it apart from a host of other sports watches, including Garmin’s own Fenix ​​line, which often use transflective displays. The Epix 2 also has great battery life considering its size and features, lasting nearly a week under normal conditions.

But it doesn’t have LTE capabilities or an ECG app. Considering it’s the most expensive watch on this list at $1,000, that could be a big downside.

Read our Garmin Epix review.