Best value last-generation smartwatches

Top pick: Apple Watch Series 9 — the sweet spot for value. It's a full-featured Apple Watch with the S9 chip, so it still gets current watchOS features, and it's the cheapest way into a proper Apple Watch rather than a cut-down one. Best if you have an iPhone and want the essentials done well.

Who the others suit:

• Apple Watch Series 10 — if you want the newer, bigger-screen design and are willing to pay a bit more for it.
• Apple Watch SE 3 — the lightest-spend Apple option; you give up the always-on display and some sensors.
• Samsung Galaxy Watch7 / Watch8 — Android users, especially with a Samsung phone; the Watch8 is the newer of the two.
• Google Pixel Watch 3 — Android users who want Fitbit health tracking and a clean Google experience.
• Garmin Venu 3 — the pick if battery life and fitness tracking matter more than apps; it lasts days, not a day.
• Garmin Forerunner 265 — runners and triathletes who want training metrics over smartwatch extras.

Skip the no-name budget bands if you want updates and app support — they're cheap but won't last the way the models above will.