Best Wear OS watch 2025

If you're looking for a fantastic smartwatch experience, you can't go wrong with Google's Wear OS software. You get tons of functionality, a seamless experience with Google services, and other goodies on top of that, particularly when it comes to smartwatches from third-party brands. Of course, the best experience will likely be had with a Samsung Galaxy or Google Pixel Watch. But there are tons of other great brands that offer smartwatches loaded with WearOS.

You'll find that many of our picks here for the best WearOS smartwatches overlap with our selections for the best Android smartwatches, overall, and that's not surprising. Arguably the best Android smartwatches do run WearOS.

When we break things down based on our extensive experience and reviews, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 is our best overall pick for the best Wear OS watch. It's priced well, has excellent features, and boasts a minimalistic design. If this model doesn't catch your fancy, especially if you don't own a Samsung Galaxy phone or simply want something different, we have plenty more great options worth considering.

Michael Hicks

Michael Hicks is Android Central's resident smartwatch geek, having reviewed or tested dozens of wearables from Samsung, Google, Apple, Garmin, Fitbit, Coros, Polar, Withings, Amazfit, and others. He spends his free time running or hiking while wearing several watches at once, testing which is most accurate.

At a glance

Best overall

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 isn't much different from the previous model. Our Galaxy Watch 7 reviewer noted that it's mostly an iterative update, and many features are transferred from the Galaxy Watch 6 to the newer model. However, the Galaxy Watch 7 still has a lot to offer.

So, what are these new additions? The newest-generation model's improved processor gives it a slight performance and battery life boost over the last-generation smartwatch. You also get new double-pinch and knock-knock gesture shortcuts built into many apps and system tools. These allow you to quickly silence timers, turn off alarms, play/pause music, pause/restart workouts, and dismiss notifications. However, they annoyingly don't work every time.

Then there's all the usual good stuff, like a truckload of sensors, 10W charging, two size options, and numerous band styles and colors. All these goodies make the Galaxy Watch 7 one of the best Android smartwatches on the market today.

As great as the Galaxy Watch sounds, it has some drawbacks, such as the gesture features not always working when you need to speed up navigation. Also, various features are borrowed from the previous model, so upgrading might not sound very tempting if you have the Galaxy Watch 6. But if this is your first time getting a Galaxy Watch, then the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 is a great option.

Best design

Google followed up its first two smartwatches with a sequel, the Pixel Watch 3. Yet again, the design is not much different. Google prefers not to tinker much with the overall layout. So, it all comes down to the functionality. You can enjoy everything Wear OS 5 offers, making the Pixel Watch 3 more interconnected with Google Pixel tech.

Our Pixel Watch 3 review outlines the upgrades it received over its predecessor, keeping the parts that worked and adding or improving those that didn't. It's very comfortable to wear, and you can now choose from two sizes—something users have been imploring for since the original Pixel Watch. This model has a sleek look accompanied by a rounded display. Plus, the haptics for notifications are as sublime as ever.

Third-party apps look great on the Google Pixel Watch 3, Fitbit integration is excellent, and performance stays smooth throughout. Using the Snapdragon W5 Gen 1 chipset is a big reason for ensuring stability that wasn't always in the original Pixel Watch or the Pixel Watch 2.

The Google Pixel Watch 3 is an excellent choice if you're an athlete excited by combining workout building, health tracking, and cardio load. It is also a good choice if you care more about style than durability.

Best premium

Most Wear OS watches will last a day at most with features like continuous heart rate active monitoring. But the massive Galaxy Watch Ultra lasts around 40-45 hours with all health sensors and sleep tracking active, and it offers speedy charging. The watch has also experienced a massive improvement in health tracking and heart rate data, bringing it more in line with offerings from other contemporary smartwatches. Other CPU, display, and GPS improvements make it an appealing watch for athletes.

As our Galaxy Watch Ultra review explains, the expensive price tag may make some think twice about getting it, especially when the Galaxy Watch 7 is so much cheaper. In a comparison between the Galaxy Watch Ultra and Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, we also noted that the vast refinements in CPU, display, health sensors, GPS, and other areas burn through the same 590mAh capacity faster, making it a harder sell to those who still have the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro.

The improvements the Galaxy Watch Ultra has are enough to buy it, and it is an objectively better offering than the Galaxy Watch 7. However, the price makes it challenging to recommend outside of a premium pick, and it's also a little on the heavy side for many, depending on personal preference.

Best value

Our TicWatchPro 5 review lays out all the perks of this model. For starters, it has a large 1.43-inch HD display that is slightly larger than the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro. It is complemented by a digital crown at the 3:00 position. The watch uses 24mm interchangeable bands, so there are many options for swapping it out to suit your personal style. It offers 5ATM water resistance, making it suitable for pool swimming.

The watch also has Wear OS 3 and 2GB of RAM. Its 628mAh battery life is estimated to be 80 hours. It also offers SpO2 tracking, an Accelerometer, a Gyro Sensor, an HD PPG Heart Rate Sensor, a SpO2 Sensor, a Skin Temperature Sensor, and a Low-Latency off-Body Sensor.

The essential mode uses tilt-to-wake. It's a great feature for extending battery life by temporarily pausing certain features, like notifications and background activities. With this mode, you could get days upon days of use as a basic watch with a low-power display, which is a huge advantage for some.

The size of the watch might make some think twice about getting it. You can also rearrange the Quick Settings panel and enjoy smooth performance.

Best battery life

The OnePlus Watch 3 might not look very different to the Watch 2, but literally everything has been improved, making it the best generational upgrade yet. A few things have stayed the same like the overall dimensions and weight, waterproofing and ruggedness, and the processor, RAM and storage.

The first big change that has earned the Watch 3 a spot on our list is the larger 631mAh battery. The Watch 2 could deliver around four days of battery life, but the Watch 3 can now do five days. Indeed, our testing shows that it can actually do that claimed number, if not even more at up to six days! What's more impressive is that OnePlus as achieved all this without increasing the size or weight of the watch.

The OnePlus Watch 3 now gets a titanium bezel for more durability and the crown is actually functional this time. The display bezels are also smaller, making way for a slightly larger AMOLED panel. While the resolution is the same as last time, it now has LTPO tech so the refresh rate can drop to 1Hz to save power, and it also gets really bright up to 2,000 nits.

Some of the other internal changes include a more power-efficient BES2800 co-processor that runs RTOS. The Watch also runs Wear OS 5 and will get two promised updates. OnePlus promises more accurate health and activity data readouts with the redesigned sensors, which can also do ECG and skin temperature readings. Comparing the OnePlus Watch 3 vs. Watch 2, you're definitely getting a lot more value for the premium you pay.

Best last-gen

The Galaxy Watch 6 is still a great Wear OS watch. This one might be for you if you want something less expensive than the Galaxy Watch 7 or the extremely expensive Ultra. Now that they're frequently on sale for much less than their launch prices, the Galaxy Watch 6 and 6 Classic are worth buying if you want to save money without compromising quality.

In our Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 review, we lauded the performance, design, health features, and fast charging but had a complex view that it didn't change too much from the Galaxy Watch 5. This watch comes with a marginally better SoC, which gives it a slight performance boost over the previous-generation smartwatch. Samsung gives these models slightly larger displays despite the thinner case.

The battery life isn't entirely bad, allowing a day's use from a full charge. However, for heavy users, it falls short of expectations. GPS-tracked activities can drain almost 25 percent of the smartwatch's battery, while sleep-tracking takes up 20 to 30 percent. You'll probably need to juice up this thing multiple times daily if you're a heavy user. Fortunately, the charging speed on both the Galaxy Watch 6 and Watch 6 Classic is blazing fast.

An important upside is that the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic kept the rotating bezel that Samsung popularized with the older models — something the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro design abandoned. If you want the best parts of some older model watches in one affordable package, the Galaxy Watch 6 is the one you want.

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Honorable mentions

So there you have it, my top favorite smartwatches that use Wear OS software. Of course, if none of the above works for you, there are plenty of other options. This section is dedicated to great Wear OS options that didn't make the cut but still deserve a look. From a stylish Skagen wearable to a versatile Fossil, here are my honorable mentions.

How to choose

As you can see, Wear OS covers some ground in the wearable market. While it might be narrowly different from the Wear OS experience you're used to, the latest and greatest Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 is the best option simply because it offers everything from an assortment of health sensors to Google Assistant support, all in an excellent design. Since Google backs it, it will be helpful for Samsung to get new software updates just as quickly as Google's smartwatch.

Speaking of which, you can pick the Pixel Watch 3 instead, which we suggest if you want something more stylish or care about Fitbit integration. The new model comes in two sizes.

To help you decide, run through the health, wellness, and notification features essential to you. With WearOS, you might want to be able to leverage features like Google Assistant, Google Maps, Google Wallet, and more, so see how (and if) these work on the watch as well. Battery life is also a key reference: if you are active and tend to use the watch a lot to track workouts as well as run apps and more, you'll want a smartwatch that can last beyond a day per charge or that at least recharges quickly when it needs a boost.

Finally, consider your phone. While the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 is the best overall option, it works best and unlocks all its features with a Samsung Galaxy phone. If you own a phone from another brand, you might want to consider another model on this list. If you own a OnePlus phone like the OnePlus 13, you'll find that the OnePlus Watch 3 is the perfect companion.

How we test

As one of the first sites to ever review Android smartwatches, we take our testing procedures very seriously regarding wearables. Smartwatch expert and senior editor Michael Hicks tests and reviews each watch in the same way we approach smartphones: through a blend of hands-on research, controlled tests, and benchmark programs.

Rather than take manufacturer claims at face value, Michael puts on chest and arm straps and hits the street to verify heart rate tracking, pedometer consistency, and GPS accuracy. This means that you'll occasionally see him running 20-mile races wearing four smartwatches at a time.

Sure, our intensive testing methods may take time, and we aren't always the first site to get reviews out for the latest devices, but that's because we care about accuracy and instilling confidence in our readers, not just clicks. In other words, if we're recommending a device, you can rest easy knowing that we've spent hours making 100% sure that it's worth your hard-earned money.

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