you’re after the best Apple Watch, we have a selection of five choices for you to look though, covering different budgets and needs.
hat is the best Apple Watch in 2024? With several models to choose from, it depends on whether you want your watch to monitor your health, take you on extreme adventures, or just look good on your wrist. When Apple’s smartwatch first arrived in 2015, many thought that Apple would fail and would go back to what it does best – making computers and smartphones. That didn’t happen, of course, and Apple now controls around 50% of the global smartwatch market, becoming the timepiece of choice for those who have bought into the Apple ecosystem of iPhones and Mac computers.
Apple Watch Series 9
The best Apple Watch for early adopters.
$349.00 at Amazon US
Prices last refreshed: Mon, 08 Jan 2024 11:06:10 GMT
Apple Watch Series 9 specs:
| Display size | 41mm or 45mm Always-On Retina LTPO OLED display |
| Brightness | 2,000 nits |
| Battery life | Up to 36 hours |
| Storage | 64GB |
| Dimensions (W x D x H) | 41mm: 35 x 10.7 x 41mm 45mm: 38 x 10.7 x 45mm |
| Weight | 41mm Aluminum: 31.9g 41mm Stainless Steel: 42.3g 45mm Aluminum: 38.7g 45mm Stainless Steel: 51.5g |
Pros
- Super-bright screen
- Fast, powerful processor
- Double-tap has potential
Cons
- Design is unchanged
- Expensive
The pinnacle of Apple Watch design is Apple’s newest model, the Series 9. It is, predictably, achingly slick and polished. Any creases were ironed out generations ago, and it now falls to Apple to introduce tweaks and creeping upgrades to keep the public’s interest year-on-year.
This year, however, things are a little different. The latest S9 chip is a leap forward in Apple Watch terms. Using the same architecture as the A16 Bionic chip in the iPhone 14 Pro, the S9 silicon comfortably outperforms the Series 8’s S8 chip.
So, in processing terms at least, the Series 9 is moving in the right direction. What else? Well, there’s double tap gesture control, enabling users to control the Watch without even touching it by tapping their fingers together. For now, it’s a very impressive party trick without a killer application. As the Series 9 makes its way into more hands and the tech becomes more mature (early watches didn’t even ship with double tap), you’ll see more and more use cases for it. But is it a case of a solution to a non-existent problem? That remains to be seen.
The new display is one feature that’s no white elephant. With 2,000 nits of peak brightness, it’s twice as bright as the Series 8, and, more impressively, the one-nit minimum brightness means it won’t disturb a sleeping partner or ruin a cinema experience by lighting up everything like the 4th of July every time you tap the touchscreen.
For the first time in recent memory, the latest Apple Watch is a must-have upgrade. It’s as slick as always but now boasts the performance to match the latest iPhones. If you’re looking for even more detail on this device
Apple Watch Hermès
The best Apple Watch for fashionistas.
Apple Watch Hermès specs:
| Display size | 41mm or 45mm Always-On Retina LTPO OLED display |
| Brightness | 2,000 nits |
| Battery life | Up to 36 hours |
| Storage | 64GB |
| Dimensions (W x D x H) | 41mm: 1.38 x 0.42 x 1.6in (35 x 10.7 x 41mm) 45mm: 1.49 x 0.42 x 1.77in (38 x 10.7 x 45mm) |
| Weight | 41mm: 1.49oz (42.3g) 45mm: 1.82oz (51.5g) |
Pros
- The last word in smartwatch style
- Exclusive Hermès watch faces
- Hermès fashion band and extra Sports Band included
Cons
- Very expensive
- No additional features
If you’re looking for the best Apple Watch for style-conscious users, the Apple Watch Hermès takes center stage. The Hermès and Apple collaboration began back in 2015, mere months after the original Apple Watch was released, and has been a staple of the range ever since. The latest Apple Watch Hermès shares an identical feature list with the Series 9 because it is a Series 9. Which begs the question: What do you get for the additional $800 premium? Well, you get an exclusive Hermès strap, a sport band, and a specially-designed Hermès watch face.
For 2024, the Apple Watch Hermès features webbing, knit, and rubber straps, reflecting the brand’s rich textile history and craftsmanship. The options include two woven bands – Toile H and Twill Jump – and the Bridon – the first-ever knitted Apple Watch strap. Additionally, the Clou de Selle – a strap made from prized Barénia calfskin – pays homage to the brand’s leatherworking prowess, and, finally, there’s the Kilim, a matte, waterproof rubber strap. The final touch is the new Hermès Radial watch face, inspired by Cape Cod’s nautical history, with numerals that light up to evoke the stars guiding ships home after nightfall.
If you hanker after the ultimate combination of smartwatch functionality and style and have the budget to match, the Apple Watch Hermès is the closest thing to a proper designer smartwatch. You could argue the case for Tag Heuer’s Connected Calibre E4, but this Hermès model offers better functionality and a larger helping of fashion house style.
Apple Watch Ultra 2
The best Apple Watch for outdoor types.
$779.99 at Amazon US
Prices last refreshed: Mon, 08 Jan 2024 11:26:56 GMT
Apple Watch Ultra 2 specs:
| Display size | 49mm Always-On Retina LTPO OLED display |
| Brightness | 3,000 nits |
| Battery life | Up to 72 hours |
| Storage capacity | 64GB |
| Dimensions (W x D x H) | 1.73 x 0.57 x 1.93in (44 x 14.4 x 49mm) |
| Weight | 61.4g |
Pros
- Huge battery life
- Super-rugged
- Emergency Siren is a neat touch
Cons
- Too chunky for small wrists
- Expensive
Sometimes, you have to go outside. It’s unavoidable. There are, however, those who walk among us who actively seek the outdoor life. Strange as it may seem, some people like to spend time in the ‘great’ outdoors, doing things like kayaking, running, hiking, or wild swimming. And it’s for those people that the Apple Watch Ultra 2 has been created.
The second most expensive (the Hermès model trumps it by $400), most rugged, and most powerful watch in Apple’s range has a 49mm, MIL-STD 810H-tested titanium case, which means it’s as tough as they come and more than up for anything you care to throw at it. Its size can make it look a little daft if you have slender wrists, and it’s expensive, but those are the only two major criticisms you can lay at the Ultra 2’s door.
In addition to its rugged exterior, it has a few internal tricks up its sleeve. It features a depth and water temperature gauge for a start, and it’s EN13319-certified, so it can be used as a dive computer for recreational dives up to 40m in conjunction with the Oceanic+ app. It also boasts the battery power to match its outdoorsy potential, with up to 55 hours on a single charge.
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is a seriously impressive piece of wrist-borne tech that’s as comfortable sitting on a sofa as it is halfway up a mountain or 40m under the sea. It’s arguably the most useful Apple Watch we’ve yet seen, and the idea of this tech filtering down into the standard models is a really exciting proposition. Of late, Apple has been keen to double down on the Apple Watch’s safety features, and the Ultra 2 shifts those features into overdrive.