Best Apple Watches for iPhone users in 2026: SE 3, Series 11 and Ultra 3

The Guardian’s consumer technology coverage sets out the best Apple Watches to buy in 2026, highlighting the Apple Watch SE 3 as the best choice for most people, the Series 11 as the strongest mid-range option, and the Ultra 3 for the longest battery life. The piece notes the Apple Watch is the best smartwatch for iPhone users but requires an iPhone running iOS 26 (iPhone 11 or later) and cannot be used with Android or as a standalone device.

The SE 3, priced from £219, adds an always-on display, the S10 chip and 64GB of storage, and runs watchOS 26 with double-tap and wrist-flick gestures. Battery life is about 1.5 days; it retains an optical heart-rate sensor and a skin-temperature sensor but lacks ECG, blood-oxygen and hypertension alerts.

The review also points out the SE 3 has an older design with chunkier bezels and that 5G or cellular models require a linked phone plan. The Series 11, from £369, is slimmer and offers a bigger, brighter screen, tougher glass or sapphire, and about two days of battery life or up to eight hours of GPS-tracked workouts.

It includes Apple’s full health suite — ECG, blood-oxygen monitoring and hypertension alerts — plus a depth gauge to six metres and a water-temperature sensor; the Series 11 uses the S10 chip and 64GB of storage and runs watchOS 26. The Ultra 3, from £729, is a 49mm titanium model with the largest, brightest display, roughly three days of battery life and up to 14 hours of high-accuracy workout tracking.

Key Topics

Tech, Apple Watch, Apple