However, on test, the Watch 7 is a terrific smartwatch in its own right. We didn't find the Watch 7 to offer that design, battery life, and fitness overhaul to inspire an upgrade, as many other things about the Apple Watch 7 are similar to the Apple Watch 6. That extra space can make all the difference when interacting with the wearable, and this model also sports faster charging, which helps make up for its middling battery life. The screen is roughly 20% bigger in fact, but thanks to smaller bezels the overall size of the smartwatch is similar. The Apple Watch 7 was a flagship smartwatch at launch and one that took some real steps beyond the Apple Watch 6, most notably through its larger screen. That means watches below are running earlier builds of Wear OS. You miss out on some functionality by sticking with Wear OS 2 but they still play nicely with iPhones and provide a greater range of designs and styles. These include the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 and 5, along with the Google Pixel Watch. Keep in mind that we've seen more Wear OS 3 watches stop supporting iOS.

Read on while we provide you with an overview, pros, and cons, and a link to the full review for each entry.

And we gathered the best of them here for you to choose from. We've reviewed and tested a lot of smartwatches over the years, and we know which ones work best with iPhones, including Samsung's Tizen-powered watches and Fitbit smartwatches. However, the crop of best smartwatches isn’t solely populated by Apple Watches, and a few of those offer iOS / iPhone compatibility too, with fitness-minded iPhone users in particular likely to appreciate the wider array of options.

Apple Watches are designed to work seamlessly with iPhones – so you get the most functionality possible when pairing the two.