Tracking your daily activity, sleep, and stress has never been easier, thanks to the strides made in wearable health tech. Smartwatches simplify step counting, and some even go beyond activity tracking to achieve condition detection, whether that’s sleep apnea or hypertension.
Also: Our favorite Black Friday smartwatch and fitness tracker deals
At ZDNET, we thoroughly review every major new smartwatch on the market, including Apple Watches, Android watches, and more niche blood pressure watches. From older Apple Watch models to affordable fitness trackers, I rounded up our readers’ most-purchased smartwatches this year, based on items bought through links in ZDNET reviews, buying guides, and other content (a note: your privacy is protected; we only have access to aggregate data from our user base, and there is no way for us to identify individual people’s purchases). Several of these smartwatches are on sale right now for Black Friday.
Best smartwatch deals of the week
Deals are selected by the CNET Group commerce team, and may be unrelated to this article.
The top smartwatches ZDNET readers bought in 2025
Show less
Our readers are monitoring their blood pressure with this budget-friendly smartwatch, which has been our top-selling watch of the year so far. It is one of the few blood pressure smartwatches available for below $50. While it may not deliver the most accurate readings, it gives users a general sense of their blood pressure trends. Reviewers on Amazon praise the FITVII’s consistent readings and user-friendly interface.
Also: The best blood pressure watches we tested
Read More
Show Expert Take Show less
Show less
If you’re a Google Pixel Watch owner, you probably only get a day or two of use before your smartwatch dies on you. This Wear OS smartwatch is one of the few Google watches with a marathon battery life. This Ticwatch Pro 5 Enduro offers 90 hours of battery life, dual-display technology, and a sapphire glass display.
Review: Buying an Android smartwatch? I found one that’s highly functional and affordable
Read More
Show Expert Take Show less
Show less
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 is a great choice for Samsung fans looking to monitor their sleep apnea condition. The watch rolled out with an FDA-cleared stamp of approval for doing so. Wear it to sleep over a 10-day period to learn more about breathing disturbances and interruptions during rest.
Read More
Show Expert Take Show less
Show less
While Apple announced its newest flagship smartwatch, the Apple Watch Series 11, at its annual iPhone event in September, it also announced a software update that upgrades older models to share the same functions as newer ones. What does that mean for you? The one-year-old Series 10 gets nearly every upgrade the Series 11 does (save for a 24-hour battery life and a more durable build). If those things don’t matter to you, I’d suggest jumping on the Series 10.
Review: The Apple Watch Series 10 is a worthy buy – even if it weren’t discounted
It’s got the same form factor, chip, and feature set as the newer watches. It also adds Possible Hypertension Detection to its slate of health-tracking. The FDA-cleared feature monitors blood pressure over a 30-day period to understand whether a user is above or below the threshold.
Read More
Show Expert Take Show less
Show less
Whenever you see a smartwatch with “Ultra” attached to the end of its name, know that you’re getting a durable, outdoor activities-ready device that will normally have twice the battery life of the non-ultra flagship and a build that can withstand the elements. This Ultra model from Apple offers a huge and vivid display, an Action Button specific to Apple’s Ultra lineup, you can rig with whatever smartwatch function you’d like to activate with the touch of a button, and 36 hours of battery life.
Review: The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is the premium smartwatch I prefer
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is not too different from the Ultra 3 Apple unveiled at this year’s iPhone event. The main difference is Emergency SOS via Satellite communication. New software features like Sleep Scores and Possible Hypertension Detection come to the smartwatch through WatchOS 26. If you aren’t finding yourself off-grid and needing to call for help through satellite communication, you can skip the more expensive Ultra 3 and opt for the Ultra 2 instead.
Read More
Show Expert Take Show less
Show less
Hardcore health and activity trackers want a smartwatch that does all the usual monitoring, but with a build that’s designed for adventure. Samsung’s Galaxy Watch Ultra delivers on this with a durable titanium build, a Running Coach feature that assesses running capacity and guides users to their next race, and the usual slate of exercise and sleep tracking.
Samsung’s Vascular Load feature is on the Galaxy Watch Ultra — as well as other Samsung smartwatches. “Samsung does a better job than others at providing you with information on what each metric means and ways in which you can improve for better health,” ZDNET’s Matt Miller writes in his review.
Review: I bought this year’s Galaxy Watch Ultra
Read More
Show Expert Take Show less
Show less
I’m pleased with my testing of the Pixel Watch 4, and have found it to be one of my favorite smartwatches I’ve reviewed this year. So, how does its older sibling, the Pixel Watch 3, fare?
The smartwatch gets a 24-hour battery life, a cardio load feature for capturing your weekly cardiovascular expended energy, a big and bright display, and Fitbit integrations for all those exercise- and sleep-tracking needs. The one thing I wish Pixel Watch 3 had (that Google improves on the Pixel Watch 4) is a more useful and quick-connecting charging port. I have often had to fumble with the magnetic charging sensors on the bottom of the Pixel Watch 3 to get it to connect.
Review: This Android smartwatch made me consider switching to Google Pixel
Read More
Show Expert Take Show less
Show less
Despite the smartwatch’s rise in popularity, style-minded consumers are still hesitant to wear a clunky glowing screen around their wrist. Maybe they’d like to track their steps and daily exercise, but the form factor of a smartwatch is a major deterrent to adoption. This smartwatch doesn’t sacrifice aesthetics for health tracking functionalities — and we love it for that.
First and foremost, it doesn’t look like a smartwatch. It has the appearance of an analog watch, but with a circle at the top of the watch display that users can toggle through as they’d like. The ScanWatch Nova tracks heart rate and body temperature 24/7. It can log workouts (and automatically recognize 40 activities without your logging) and monitor sleep, too.
Also: This smartwatch combines advanced health tracking with a classy look
On top of a stylish look and advanced health tracking, the smartwatch boasts a 30-day battery life, one of the longest on this list. Charging a device only once a month? Sign me up.
Read More
Show Expert Take Show less
Show less
Garmin’s smartwatch comes with 11 days of battery life and a vivid AMOLED display for viewing in a wide array of environments. It has automatic nap logging and tracking, a readiness score in the form of “Body Battery,” and a wheelchair mode for those looking to track their wheelchair pushes, as one would track steps.
Also: The best Garmin watches
Read More
Show Expert Take Show less
Show less
Want a bare bones smartwatch that connects to your Apple ecosystem – but don’t want to spend lots on it? The Apple Watch SE 2 came out several years ago and performs basic functions like step tracking, message sending, and safety features, like Emergency SOS or crash detection.
Also: The Apple watch SE 2 is still my favorite
I’d recommend the smartwatch to someone seeking to use it for one or two specific purposes, like, say providing your kid with their first tech device that has the functions for texting and calling (you’ll need to opt for the GPS + Cellular choice to get this), or an older family member who is prone to accidents or falls.
Read More
Show Expert Take Show less
Smartwatches Reviewed & Compared
