The best smartwatch 2022

Samsung’s Galaxy Watch line was already the best smartwatch foil to the Apple Watch, but 2021’s Galaxy Watch 4 series also represents a huge shift in the wider wearable landscape.

The Watch 4 Classic may look like the previous year’s Galaxy Watch 3 – complete with that signature rotating bezel – but Samsung’s long-standing use of Tizen OS has ended, and through a partnership with Google, a new incarnation of Wear OS (with some signature Samsung tweaks) is what you’ll find on the Watch 4 series.

Beyond the premium user experience, the Watch grants Samsung Galaxy users access to new health data – like body composition analysis – as well as an ECG feature and AFib (irregular heart rhythm) detection.

Running on Wear OS, the Watch 4 also has access to a wealth of watch faces and third-party apps that previous iterations simply lost out on.

The Watch 4 Classic is best experienced if you’re a Samsung Galaxy user, and you pay a premium for that Classic styling but it’s still a great fit for the wider Android user base after a premium wearable experience.

While the Series 7 is only an incremental upgrade over 2020’s Series 6, that doesn’t stop it from being one of the best smartwatches you can buy; if you have an iPhone, that is.

Along with all of the additions and improvements from the previous year’s Apple Watch – namely an always-on altimeter and blood oxygen monitoring – the Series 7 also incorporates fast charging (that’s 33% quicker than before) and a new display that’s 20% larger, while bezels are around 40% thinner; giving the Watch a more cutting-edge look while retaining compatibility with existing Apple Watch straps.

Running watchOS 8 out of the box also means newfound support for workout activities like pilates and helpful new safety features, like fall detection whilst cycling.

The Apple Watch SE is also still a viable alternative for those that aren’t too fussed about features like ECG and blood oxygen monitoring, and want to save a bit of money on an Apple Watch. 

If you’re not a fan of the Watch 4 Classic’s physical rotating bezel (or the added price premium that comes with its distinct design), then the standard Watch 4 is the perfect remedy.

Like the Classic, it’s also available in two casing sizes but comes in a far wider range of colours for greater personalisation. The whole design is more contemporary, complete with a digital bezel that uses haptic feedback, too.

Functionality (and that new Wear OS 3-based user experience) otherwise remain unchanged in comparison to the Classic; meaning the Watch 4 is another premium feature-packed smartwatch with the Google Play Store, ECG functionality (again, for Samsung Galaxy users only) and support for a wealth of third-party apps.

It also comes with a significantly lower starting price, versus the Watch 4 Classic.

Replacing the Ionic as the most well-rounded Fitbit, the Fitbit Sense adds a lot of new health features at the top-end of the company’s range.

You could call it the hypochondriac’s smartwatch, it’s so full of warning signs, but there’s a lot here that will help indicate serious health problems that you will have the chance to improve upon.

Mindfulness might seem a little kooky to some and a concern for those with too much time on their hands, but there is no denying that stress can affect us all, and managing it will quickly bring not just mental but long-term physical health benefits.

For all-round physical and mental health tracking, the Sense is the Fitbit with it all; provided you can swing the high price.

Zepp’s most ambitious smartwatch yet, the Amazfit GTR 3 Pro boasts a sharper display than its similarly-named sibling (the GTR 3) and supports a higher refresh rate, making for smoother user interaction.

The new Zepp OS will soon gain access to third-party app support but for the time being, comes with 150 watch faces (some of which are animated) and support for 150 trackable activities, as well as an improved BioSensor, that even works when swimming.

Voice assistant support is also part of the equation, with Alexa when the watch has an internet connection or a basic offline alternative when it doesn’t.

Mobvoi’s TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra is one of the most rugged timepieces we’ve seen from the company; integrating the Pro line’s signature dual-display technology into a hardy form factor, running Wear OS 2 and offering respectable battery longevity.

It can’t quite match the battery life of dedicated premium outdoor watches like Polar’s Grit X Pro, or those with more modest hardware, like Amazfit’s recent offerings, but there’s little else that’s this hardy and this capable in the smartwatch space right now.

As well as the promise of an update to Wear OS 3, the Pro 3 Ultra sports a full-colour AMOLED display and a monochromatic FSTN display that, in Essential Mode, can help extend longevity from 3 to 45 days per charge.

While Huawei’s Watch GT series held the torch as its flagship smartwatch line for the longest time, 2021’s Huawei Watch 3 elevated the company’s established smartwatch experience with the debut of its own HarmonyOS, along with more powerful performance.

The Watch 3 comes in an array of finishes and can be paired with any 22mm strap, while a rich sensor setup means it’s great for tracking activity and sleep, with impressive levels of insight from the companion Huawei Health app.

Unlike Apple and Samsung, you don’t pay extra for eSIM functionality either and unlike Wear OS, which is reportedly losing iOS support with Wear OS 3, Huawei’s Watch 3 works with both Android and iPhone, making it one of the few high-end smartwatches to do so.

The Garmin Venu 2 Plus is a great all-rounder if you’re on the market for a smartwatch that focuses on health and fitness. It’s ideal for runners and cyclists, with custom multi-week workout plans available, accurate HR readings and impressive GPS performance – even in built-up city streets.

It’s not just for runners though, also capable of tracking everything from rowing to golfing and skiing, and the new animated yoga and pilates exercises are a nice touch.

With a microphone and speaker it offers on-demand virtual assistant requests and the ability to take calls mid-run without reaching for your phone. The only downside is that, without LTE, you’ll need a Bluetooth-connected smartphone nearby.

However, if you’re not much of a fitness fanatic and you’re after something that’ll run your favourite apps, provide smart home shortcuts, and more, you’d be better off looking elsewhere, as the vast majority of apps are fitness-focused

Considering Oppo’s never released a smartwatch before, the global version of the Oppo Watch – in both its 41mm and 46mm incarnations – is a pretty brilliant first attempt.

The larger 46mm model leads with its evolved Apple Watch-inspired aesthetics and optional cellular functionality but beyond that, both sport a rich feature set.

Expect superb performance (thanks to a smart processor pairing and plenty of RAM), swim-proofing and one of the best Wear OS 2 experiences out there; in spite of the operating system’s misgivings.

We just wished the heart rate sensor was a little more accurate during workouts.

If the luxurious titanium and ceramic designs aren’t enough to convince you, the Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro also brings some of the most robust fitness tracking in any watch.

It includes support for over 100 workout types, even including new free-diving support, and tracks everything from heart rate and VO2Max to altitude and pace. The AI-powered running coach and Healthy Living Shamrock are also on-hand to help improve both fitness and well-being too, and with up to 14 days’ battery life it’s built to last.

Available in a range of designs and two casing sizes (46mm and 42mm), the GT 3 Pro series presents itself as an impressively flexible smartwatch offering.