The best smartwatches of 2026: Expert tested and reviewed

Today's smartwatches are wearable computers capable of cellular and satellite connectivity and full application support without a tethered smartphone. With advanced features such as voice assistants, crash detection, call and text support, and long battery lives, modern smartwatches like the Apple Watch Ultra 3 or the Google Pixel Watch 4 are far more than just an accessory. Thanks to powerful sensors, they've become one of the most popular health and fitness trackers, too. Your smartphone may limit your smartwatch choice, but there are affordable smartwatches from Garmin, Withings, and others from Amazfit that offer more limited application support priced in the $250 to $500 range. Deals are selected by the CNET Group commerce team, and may be unrelated to this article. What is the best smartwatch right now? Based on our extensive hands-on testing and insights from experts, the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is my pick for the best smartwatch overall due to its powerful processor, satellite and 5G connectivity, long battery life, third-party application support, storage capacity, high-quality titanium materials, sleep-tracking capabilities, women's wellness features, and advanced workout metric feature suite. If you're not an Apple user, read on to see how watches from Samsung (including the Galaxy Watch…