Rebel Life
Smartwatches
Smartwatches blend traditional timepiece functionality with advanced digital features, offering convenience and versatility. Acting as smartphone extensions, they provide notifications, health monitoring, GPS tracking, and even standalone calling. Modern smartwatches combine fashion with technology, offering customizable watch faces and stylish designs to suit individual tastes. With advancements in AI, they deliver personalized experiences, learning user habits to enhance usability. As technology evolves, smartwatches are becoming indispensable tools, seamlessly integrating health, communication, and convenience into everyday life.
Best overall smartwatch
Apple Watch Ultra 2
Pros:
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Great design
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Good display quality
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Works best with iPhones
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Impressive battery life
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Improved software speed
Cons:
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Quite expensive
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Very 'Apple only' use
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Works best with latest iPhone versions
Let’s get straight to the point: the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is currently the best and most premium Apple Watch available. That’s all you need to know! It really is that straightforward. The original Apple Watch Ultra was a significant risk for Apple, but it paid off handsomely. The new model retains everything that made its predecessor great, providing a solid foundation for improvements. With a few new enhancements, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is essentially a refined version of the original. If you already own an Apple Watch Ultra, you likely don’t need to upgrade. However, if you’re considering stepping into the Ultra world for the first time, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is a fantastic choice.
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While the design remains consistent, there are notable upgrades that aren’t immediately visible. One of the standout features this year is the display. It maintains the same size OLED screen as before, but the maximum brightness has increased from to the brightest display Apple has ever offered on a watch, and it truly looks fantastic. Everything is easy to read, colours pop, and no issues with legibility—even during sunny days. Plus, the display can dim down, which is great for nighttime or dark environments.
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The other significant upgrade is the new S9 chipset, based on the A15 Bionic chip from the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus. Apple claims it’s 30% faster than last year’s model, and it performs exceptionally well. From launching apps to starting workouts and replying to notifications, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 handles it all effortlessly. While I haven’t noticed a dramatic difference in performance compared to my previous Ultra, this added power will be beneficial over time with future software updates. A notable improvement is with Siri. The S9 chip allows Siri to process requests locally without needing to relay them through your iPhone. Tasks like setting alarms or dictating messages are noticeably quicker on the Ultra 2. In contrast, the original Ultra sometimes experiences delays when executing requests. With the Ultra 2, responses are almost instantaneous, making a significant difference in user experience.
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There are additional features to explore as well. If you have an iPhone 15 or iPhone 15 Pro, the new Precision Finding capability lets you track your lost iPhone directly on your Apple Watch. I’ve found it works effectively, which is great for those of us who misplace our phones. The Ultra 2 also doubles its internal storage from 32GB to 64GB, giving you more space for apps, offline music, and podcasts.
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One of the most intriguing features is the Double Tap gesture, which allows you to control various functions on the watch simply by tapping your index finger and thumb together. This can pause/play music, answer calls, start voice replies, stop timers, or scroll through widgets in your watchOS 10 Smart Stack. While it works reliably, its utility is somewhat limited. Currently, it’s not always clear where Double Tap is applicable, which can lead to missed opportunities for use.
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The Apple Watch Ultra 2 excels in hardware design. Essentially unchanged from the original, it remains one of the best-designed smartwatches on the market. It features a 49mm titanium case that pairs perfectly with the iPhone 15 Pro models. Although there were rumors of a new color, the Ultra 2 still comes in the natural titanium finish, which is stunning. It offers a refined yet rugged look. There are no new size options, and the Ultra 2 remains a large smartwatch. Despite its weight of 61.4 grams—over 22 grams heavier than the 45mm aluminum Apple Watch Series 9—it sits comfortably and doesn’t interfere with daily activities. The design details of the Ultra continue to impress. The larger Digital Crown feels excellent, the side button has improved, and the guard around them adds a unique touch that distinguishes the Ultra 2 from the Series 9 and Apple Watch SE 2. The Action Button also returns, making it easy to launch the Workout app and pause or resume activities with a simple press.
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While the Ultra 2 doesn’t introduce new health or fitness tracking features, that’s not a drawback. It retains Apple’s comprehensive health monitoring suite, including all-day activity tracking, 24/7 heart rate monitoring, SpO2 tracking, an ECG app, cycle tracking, and custom heart rate zones during workouts. This robust functionality works seamlessly on the Ultra 2.
Battery life was a highlight of the original Ultra, and the Ultra 2 continues that trend. It is typically possible to get just over two days on a single charge, even with multiple workouts, daily notifications, and the always-on display enabled. While it doesn’t match the endurance of devices like the Garmin Forerunner 265 or Fitbit Charge 6, it offers the best battery life among Apple Watches. If you enable Low Power Mode, which comes with some feature sacrifices, it can extend battery life to five days.
Charging is straightforward, using the same magnetic puck Apple has provided for years. Recharging from 0 to 100% usually takes about an hour and a half.
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The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is now available for purchase from Apple’s website and retailers like Amazon and Best Buy, priced at £769 ($799) regardless of the band you choose, including the Alpine Loop, Trail Loop, and Ocean Band.
Every Apple Watch Ultra 2 model includes LTE connectivity at no extra cost, unlike the Apple Watch Series 9. You will still incur a monthly fee from your carrier to use LTE, but the hardware is ready for it.
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Is the Apple Watch Ultra 2 a dull smartwatch? Does it indicate that Apple is playing it too safe? If you view it solely as an upgrade to the original Ultra, you might think so. However, as Apple has done with previous releases, the Ultra 2 isn’t aimed at those who bought the original last year; it’s for everyone else. In nearly every way, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is a premier smartwatch. The brighter display, enhanced performance, and improved Siri experience all contribute to its excellence. If you have £769 to spend and want the best Apple Watch experience available, the Ultra 2 is the way to go.
Best budget smartwatch
CMF Watch Pro by Nothing
Pros:
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Great price
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Impressive battery life
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Includes the basics
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Easy fit during activities
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Durable
Cons:
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Poor connectivity
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Not customisable
The CMF Watch Pro offers incredible value for its price, retailing at just $69 / £69 / AU$142. Despite its affordable cost, it exudes a premium feel, and transitioning from my (comparatively expensive) Amazfit Balance, I was pleasantly surprised by the experience. I expected a range of frustrations and limitations, but instead, I've enjoyed using it.
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The design, though clearly inspired by Apple, is striking. It looks fantastic on the wrist, with high-quality materials and finishes. Nothing’s signature aesthetic is present across a wide selection of attractive and functional watch faces. While it's a chunky piece, it’s surprisingly lightweight, making it comfortable to wear for extended periods.
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Naturally, at this price point, some features commonly found on pricier smartwatches are missing. There's no built-in Wi-Fi, no payment system, and most features require a connected smartphone to function. However, the Watch Pro covers the essentials well enough for most users. The main downside is the frequent disconnection from your phone, which can be frustrating. This means notifications won’t come through, and many features will be inaccessible until you manually reconnect the watch through the smartphone app. Hopefully, this will improve with future software updates, and in fairness, there have been several updates since I started testing it.
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Overall, the CMF Watch Pro remains a great-looking smartwatch at an unbeatable price. However, there’s still room for refinement. What truly sets the CMF Watch Pro apart is its affordability. While it shares a similar look with the Apple Watch, its pricing puts it in direct competition with devices like the Xiaomi Smart Band 8, Fitbit Inspire 3, and Amazfit Bip 5—solid options in their own right, but none quite as premium as the CMF.
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Launched in September 2023 as the first product from CMF by Nothing, it arrived alongside a pair of earbuds and a wall charger. The Watch Pro is available for purchase directly from Nothing and through various authorized resellers in the UK. In the US, it's sold on Amazon, and in Australia, you can find it on AliExpress.
Best sports smartwatch
Garmin fenix 7 Pro Solar
Pros:
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Includes all performance and fitness stats
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Highly customisable
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Easy to read display
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Impressive battery life
Cons:
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On the heavy side
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As expensive as iWatch
For fitness enthusiasts and adventure seekers, the Garmin Fenix 7 Pro Sapphire Solar ($900) is tough to top. Packed with advanced health tracking, detailed performance analytics, and over 80 activity profiles—including surfing, backcountry skiing, golf, inline skating, and more—it’s built to meet the demands of any challenge. Its rugged Power Sapphire screen is scratch-resistant, even during rock climbing, and its solar-charging capabilities keep it powered for extended adventures.
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The fenix 7 Pro’s five-button layout is both intuitive and customizable, complemented by a responsive touchscreen for swift navigation through menus. Its transflective memory-in-pixel (MIP) display ensures clear visibility in bright sunlight while offering exceptional battery life—up to 18 days in smartwatch mode or 22 days with solar charging. This flexibility lets users switch between button-only controls or a mix of touchscreen and button interactions, catering to personal preferences.
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Key features like training load, recovery time, endurance scoring, and heart rate variability (HRV) status help users track and optimize performance. The 80+ activity profiles shine during diverse tests, from whitewater paddling to climbing and backcountry skiing. Each activity-specific mode delivers tailored data, such as strokes-per-minute for paddling or pitch counts for climbing.
Navigation is another strong point, with preloaded maps available in activity modes or standalone through Navigate and Map functions. Users can access preloaded workouts or customize their training via Garmin Coach, which adapts intelligently to individual fitness levels. Features like ClimbPro further enhance training by adjusting effort for upcoming ascents.
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The fenix 7 Pro also covers all the essentials: GPS for running, swimming, cycling, and hiking; music storage supporting Spotify, Amazon, and Deezer; and Garmin Pay for contactless payments. Available in three case sizes (42, 47, and 51 mm) and various configurations with or without solar, this watch is built to accommodate a wide range of needs.
Our climbing, cycling, and fitness editor was thoroughly impressed with its capabilities during daily use. While its activity modes performed exceptionally well, the lifestyle features stood out most. The morning report offered a helpful, unobtrusive summary of tasks and training, and its sleep tracking proved accurate when compared to other devices like the Whoop.
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One of the fenix 7 Pro’s standout qualities is its remarkable battery life. With regular sun exposure of an hour or more per day, the editor often went weeks without needing to recharge—an invaluable feature for extended adventures.
For those seeking a high-performance smartwatch that excels across fitness, adventure, and daily life, the Garmin fenix 7 Pro Sapphire Solar is hard to beat.
Best fitness tracker
Fitbit Charge 6
Pros:
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Good value for money
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Great sound quality
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Secure fit thanks to wingtip design
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Simple and colourful display
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Great battery life
Cons:
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Relies on the app a bit too much
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Some of the features don't work seamlessly
Fitness and health tracking technology continues to evolve each year, and Fitbit remains a standout player in the field—even years after its merger with Google. The Charge 6, their latest fitness tracker, seamlessly blends Fitbit’s hallmark features with Google’s innovative tools. Regardless of the link with Google, Fitbit has kept some of the charactistics and features that have made the brand a stand-out product.
The Fitbit Charge 6 is available in the neutral and versatile in the porcelain and silver aluminum colorway. The device comes with a silicone band that includes both small and large sizes, along with a USB-A charging cradle. However, if you have sensitive skin or are prone to eczema, it’s crucial to remove the tracker regularly for cleaning—especially after sweating. Compared with other offers this can become a bit of a chore.
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The Charge 6 is crafted from glass, aluminum, and resin and features a 1.52” AMOLED touchscreen display. It’s compatible with both iOS and Android, and I had no trouble pairing it with my iPhone. The tracker is packed with sensors, including heart rate monitoring, built-in GPS, SPO2 tracking, a 3-axis accelerometer, skin temperature monitoring, blood glucose tracking, sleep and stress management, and NFC. While the hardware is impressive, some software and UI elements felt cumbersome as with older versions.
One such example is Fitbit’s SmartTrack feature, which promises to automatically detect and log workouts. I work out regularly, including strength training and cardio several times a week. Unfortunately, SmartTrack never activated for me, even when I forgot to manually start tracking. If you enjoy reviewing workout stats in the app, don’t rely on this feature to log your activities automatically, instead it’s better to start tracking manually.
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Another issue was the UI design, particularly how information transfers between the tracker and the app. For example, the menstrual tracking feature is underwhelming. While the app allows you to log symptoms and track cycle trends, the Charge 6 displays minimal information, such as a basic countdown to your next cycle. The display text is awkward, making it more practical to use the app—or even a different cycle tracking app—for detailed insights. Overall, the Charge 6 works well for quick notifications, but a deeper dive always requires opening the Fitbit app.
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A significant advantage of the Fitbit-Google merger is Google integration, including Gmail, Google Maps, and YouTube Music notifications, alongside call and text alerts. While the smaller display can make reading emails a bit awkward, it’s functional enough to quickly read the subject title. However, we must remember as a fitness tracker and not a smartwatch, the Charge 6 doesn’t support notifications from as many apps. On the plus side, its NFC feature supports Google Wallet for seamless mobile payments—an essential feature for some.
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The Charge 6’s display is colorful, responsive, and customizable, with options for always-on functionality and a variety of watch faces. While it doesn’t allow you to upload custom photos as watch faces, there are plenty of choices in the Fitbit app. The single button on the left side of the display is straightforward to use, making the device simple and intuitive.
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Fitbit’s status and user ecosystem is well-established, and the app experience is consistent with other Fitbit devices. The Charge 6 tracks stress and sleep, this doesn't help those who don’t like wearing anything on their wrist while sleeping. Its nutrition and food tracking feature is decent, though logging meals can feel tedious, and the food library isn’t as extensive as dedicated nutrition apps. However, having all your health and wellness data in one place is convenient.
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Battery life is another strong point. Fitbit claims up to 7 days of use, and even with frequent notifications and active use, the Charge 6 met that expectation. Charging via the cradle is quick, reaching 100% in about two hours. If you use features like always-on display or SPO2 tracking, battery life may shorten, but even then, it lasts several days.
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Overall, the Fitbit Charge 6 offers a competitive package. However, this should be thought of in the category of a fitness tracker and not as a smartwatch. It’s easy to set up and great for tracking at-a-glance metrics like steps and heart rate. While some features feel clunky and notifications can look awkward on the display, the device offers a solid balance of functionality and affordability. The Fitbit app provides a decent overview of health and wellness, and I’m excited to see how wearables evolve in the future.
