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Which smartwatch brand to buy in 2025
In our longevity survey, we asked 18,067 people, including Which? members and members of the public, to tell us whether they're happy with their tech products or if they've experienced problems. This included 3,920 smartwatches, so you can make an informed decision and see which smartwatch brands are worth choosing.
You might be surprised to learn that – out of the eight big brands included in our survey – Fitbit was the smartwatch brand that developed the most faults within six years of ownership. Battery life problems were the most common faults reported by Fitbit owners, and by all respondents who owned a smartwatch from any brand.
Straps breaking and devices that stopped working altogether were other reported smartwatch problems. Google smartwatches reported the second-highest number of faults.
Discover the best smartwatches we recommend investing in.
Smartwatch brands rated
Which? members can log in to see the scores and star ratings each smartwatch brand earned in our latest survey. Not yet a member? Join Which? now to get instant access to all of our reviews.
| Brand | Customer score | Proportion faulty in the first six years | Proportion repaired or replaced due to a fault | Proportion of Best Buys | Average test score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sign up to reveal Get instant access to this and all our scores and recommendations. Unlock tableFirst month £5, then £11.99 per month, cancel at any time Already a member? Log in | 84% | 5% | 3% | 100% | 83% |
| 77% | 14% | 12% | 50% | 77% | |
| 77% | 8% | 4% | 100% | 81% | |
| 73% | 10% | 4% | 18% | 76% | |
| 69% | 12% | 3% | 0% | 73% | |
| 67% | 7% | 4% | 0% | 70% | |
| 67% | 13% | 6% | 13% | 71% | |
| 64% | 18% | 6% | 40% | 74% |
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The customer score, proportion faulty and proportion repaired or replaced are based on a survey of 3,920 smartwatches, conducted in March 2024. n/a indicates there isn't enough data. The proportion repaired or replaced is based on products bought in the past six years.
Fortunately, smartwatches are a fairly reliable bunch of products: only 9% developed a fault within six years. Security updates are just as important, though, as a device that's no longer supported could expose you to hackers. Find out which smartwatch brands offer the longest security support periods.
The most common smartwatch faults
We reveal which faults smartwatches are most susceptible to – and offer tips on how to handle it should this happen. Not yet a member? Join Which? now to get instant access.
Which smartwatch brands are seen as best value for money?
Cheap doesn't necessarily equal value for money, but expensive smartwatches might not justify their high prices. Which? members can find out which brands are considered worth the spend by owners.
Which smartwatch brands are best at repairs?
We reveal which brands provided a good service when customers contacted them about repairs, and which ones left customers feeling frustrated.
If your smartwatch is beyond repair, our guide to buying the best smartwatch can help you select a new one. Or to complain to a manufacturer, use our guide to your rights for getting a refund, repair or replacement on a faulty product.
How we calculate the best smartwatch brands
Which? has a wealth of information on Britain's favourite brands. Every year we ask Which? members and members of the public to tell us about the tech they own – from how likely they would be to recommend a brand to how reliable the products are once they get them home.
This year, 18,067 people, including Which? members and members of the public, told us about 61,577 individual products, including 3,920 smartwatches.
- We calculate our customer score based on whether customers would recommend each brand and their level of satisfaction.
- We also calculate which brand developed the most faults, based on how many faults each brand developed up to six years old.
- Our most reliable brand and reliability star ratings are based on how many products developed a fault, how quickly these faults occurred, and how much they impacted day-to-day usage of the product.
Our surveys, combined with our extensive lab tests, mean we can recommend the best smartwatch to buy.
Find out more about how we test smartwatches.
Head to our smartwatch reviews
We test smartwatches for large and small budgets, for people wanting a hi-tech watch with lots of health and sports features, and for people just wanting a more simple device to help them stay connected. Our scores take into account what matters to buyers, including battery life and accuracy of the stats recorded. Use the links below to read reviews of models from each of these smartwatch brands:
- Amazfit smartwatch reviews
- Apple smartwatch reviews
- Fitbit smartwatch reviews
- Garmin smartwatch reviews
- Huawei smartwatch reviews
- Samsung smartwatch reviews
- Withings smartwatch reviews
- Xiaomi smartwatch reviews
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