Apple Watch Series 6: The Best Smartwatch You Can Buy

The Apple Watch has been our longstanding Editors’ Choice for its excellent performance, unparalleled app selection, and ample health- and fitness-tracking features. With the Series 6, Apple builds upon its flagship smartwatch with the addition of a blood oxygen saturation sensor that calculates your SpO2 level on demand and captures periodic background measurements when you’re sleeping and inactive. Putting this technology in a consumer wearable has never been more important given the global COVID-19 pandemic, as it indicates how well your circulatory and respiratory systems are delivering oxygenated blood to your body and can help you gauge whether a hospital visit is necessary.

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Beyond this, Apple’s changes include a faster processor, an always-on altimeter that lets you see your elevation in real time, and a bump in screen brightness when your wrist is down. These improvements, plus many new additions in watchOS 7, including a 20-second hand-washing timer and sleep-tracking capabilities, make the Apple Watch Series 6 the company’s best smartwatch yet and our new Editors’ Choice.

PRICING

Apple introduced two new smartwatches this year, the flagship Series 6 and the more affordable Watch SE. The Series 6 starts at $399 for the GPS-only model and $100 more for the GPS and cellular version.

The Watch SE, which shares design elements with the Series 6 along with key health and safety features like fall detection, starts at $279 for the GPS-only model or $329 for the GPS and cellular version. It lacks an always-on display, as well as blood oxygen saturation and electrocardiogram (ECG) readings.

The GPS-only Series 3 remains on sale for just $199 as another budget-friendly option. All models require a paired iPhone, so Android users are out of luck.

The Series 6 comes in 40mm and 44mm case sizes and three different case materials: 100 percent recycled aluminum, polished stainless steel, or brushed titanium. Apple is also giving you some new jewel-toned colors to choose from this year. The aluminum Series 6 is available in new navy-blue and red, as well as gold, silver, and space-gray. The stainless steel model comes in a new classic yellow-gold tone, a grayish-black called Graphite, and silver. The titanium model comes in Natural Titanium and Space Black.

Apple Watch Series 6

PROS