Best Smartwatches: Apple vs Garmin vs Fitbit

✨ Quick takeaways on the best smartwatches in 2026

The Apple Watch Series 11 is a powerful all-round smartwatch, with dozens of fitness and productivity apps. It's a premium model with a handy new Wrist-flick feature. It's only let down by its paltry battery life compared to the others. The Garmin Venu 4 is in a league of its own, easily the pick of the bunch for its advanced activity and sports tracking abilities with profiles for dozens of specific sports. It boasts an enormous battery life too, far outstripping its rivals. The Fitbit Versa 3 isn't the latest model, but it still has the most popular features that newer versions don't have, like Wi-Fi. It's almost entirely fitness focused, so it lacks the productivity tools and other features of the Apple and Garmin. That said, it does the job seamlessly and is nicely slim and lightweight.

Can you trust Back Market to recommend the best smartwatches?

We deal in virtually all smartwatches available, which gives us a very solid knowledge base for our recommendations. Our third-party refurbishers also provide detailed feedback as they restore and test the watches. Our decades of experience as one of the world's leading marketplaces for refurbished electronics have given us deep insights that we share with you. We also don't play favourites. We tell it like it is without pushing one brand over another. Our in-house experts are able to analyse the features, benefits and disadvantages of each device so that you get a clear picture to help you decide. We also listen to our customer feedback and take their personal experiences and reviews into account.

What's the difference between a smartwatch and a fitness tracker?

Fitness trackers are mainly built to do what their name says. They're dedicated to fitness, health and activity monitoring, and usually have a longer battery life than smartwatches with more features. They typically have more minimalist designs focusing on key metrics, have limited smart features and don't have many installed apps.

Smartwatches combine fitness and health and wellness tracking with other functionality, including communication abilities. You can answer calls with them, send and receive messages use a wide variety of productivity apps. They often come with voice assistance, have larger screens and richer colour displays.

Different brand philosophies and ecosystems

As is always the case with Apple devices, the Apple Watch Series 11 is part of a tightly controlled, closed ecosystem of apps and services. It's a self-contained system designed only for Apple users. These watches are deeply and seamlessly integrated with this ecosystem, making them multi-functional wearables to a certain extent. The drawback is that they are not compatible with any other platforms such as Android, but iPhone users won't have any complaints. Garmin has an independent fitness-focused ecosystem that prioritises minimal reliance on a smartphone, with all its fitness and health analytics self-contained in watches like the Venu 4. Fitbit splits the difference by offering a cross-platform system that provides ease of use for simple wellness tracking. It has a fewer smart features than the other two brands and a smaller app ecosystem.

Data export capabilities

The Apple Watch Series 11 is able to export health and fitness data to the Apple Health hub. This includes biometrics and workout progress. It's a flexible system that can share this data with other relevant apps. Garmin uses Garmin Connect, where data is stored in the cloud and can be exported as activity files to use on your watch. You can upload your data, and they system syncs with third-party tools for a more comprehensive fitness approach. Fitbit also supports health data uploads, but has a smaller ecosystem so you'll sometimes need to use third-party apps for workarounds.

Third-party integration

Apple Health creates a single data hub for a wide variety of iOS apps to send and receive data. This gives it broad compatibility with a wide range of health, fitness and lifestyle platforms. Garmin is more selective, reliably connecting to other fitness-specific services and even coaching platforms. In this respect it's more siloed than Apple. Fitbit relies on third-party partnerships and can integrate with many different wellness apps through its API (application programming interface). It also uses third-party apps as intermediaries to connect to systems like Apple Health as it doesn't have any direct native connectivity.

🏆 What's the best Apple smartwatch to get? Apple Watch Series 11 

✨ The Apple Watch Series 11 is everything you'd expect from a flagship Apple model.

Choose this smartwatch if you have an iPhone and want all the benefits of Apple ecosystem integration and compatibility with devices like MacBooks, iPads and AirPods.

Apple Watch Series 11 pros and cons

Apple Watch Series 11: features and benefits

The Apple Watch 11 isn't only the latest release; it's also recognised as the best overall Apple Watch for most people. It has appeal across the board. General Apple fans will like the integration with the Apple ecosystem that provides the latest features, supporting apps and software updates. Athletes will appreciate its full suite of fitness and health tracking tools, as well as its slimmer profile compared to its closest predecessor, the Ultra 3. It also has improved though not premium battery life, better scratch resistance and faster 5G download speeds. The sleek, stylish design and choice of finishes make it ideally tailored for fashion lovers too. It comes with a large variety of productivity apps and widgets, so it's an excellent option for work use. Busy people will love the addition of a wrist-flick feature that lets you dismiss notifications and go back to your normal watch face without having to use your other hand. Taken together, all of this indisputably makes the Apple Watch Series 11 one of the best smartwatches you can buy.

Apple Watch Series 11 specifications

• Screen size: 46mm

• Display: Wide-angle OLED

• Screen resolution: 496 x 416 pixels

• Casing: Aluminium / Titanium

• Face: Sapphire crystal with scratch-resistant Ion-X glass

• Dimensions: 1.81 x 1.54 x 0.38 in

• Weight: 43.1 grams

• Chip: Apple S10

• Internal memory: 64 GB

• Battery life: Up to 24 - 48 hours depending on use

• Water resistance: Up to 50 m

• Dust resistance: IP6X certified

• Connectivity: 5G LTE, Wi-Fi 4, Bluetooth 5.3

• GPS: Yes

• Colours: Jet Black Aluminium / Rose Gold Aluminium / Silver Aluminium / Space Grey Aluminium / Natural Titanium / Gold Titanium / Slate Titanium

• Health and wellness:

• ECG app

• Hypertension notifications

• High and low heart rate notifications

• Irregular rhythm notifications

• Ovulation cycle tracking

• Sleep tracking + sleep score

• Sleep apnoea notifications

• Blood oxygen level

• Respiratory rate

• Wrist temperature

• Mindfulness app with state-of-mind tracking

• Noise monitoring

• Training load

• GymKit for pairing with compatible training equipment

• Low cardio fitness notifications

• Fall detection

• Crash detection

• Other sensors:

• Ambient light

• Water temperature

• Always on altimeter

• Compass

• Waypoints, Backtrack, and Elevation view

• High dynamic range gyroscope

🏆 What is the best Garmin watch? Garmin Venu 4

✨ The Garmin Venu 4 is a sportsperson's dream watch that simply overpowers its rivals.

Choose the Garmin if you're a dedicated sportsperson who wants very detailed metrics for rich tracking analysis, plus the longest battery life.

Garmin Venu 4 pros and cons

Garmin Venu 4: features and benefits

The Garmin Venu 4 is the most versatile smartwatch the brand currently offers and hands-down one of the best smartwatches of all. It's a powerful fitness and sports device for all kinds of different workouts, with a stylish design that also makes it a good-looking work accessory. Especially useful is the ability to receive and make calls directly on the watch, rather than hauling out your smartphone. It integrates with either iPhones or Android phones. The watch is an appealing package that balances fitness features for those with an active lifestyle and productivity tools for business. It has 32 GB of music storage, so you can leave your phone at home when you go running. Its biometrics are very accurate when tested against dedicated fitness tracking wearables like heart rate chest straps. It has an absolutely huge selection of activity-specific profiles, including all kinds of sports programmes for cycling, swimming, racquet sports, snowboarding… the list is long. As an all-round wellness smartwatch you couldn't ask for better. All of this comes in a robustly protective metal body with a 12-day battery life that, frankly, embarrasses its competitors here. However, its 8 GB storage is a bit disappointing.

Garmin Venu 4 specifications

• Screen size: 35.3mm

• Display: Wide-angle OLED

• Screen resolution: 454 x 454 pixels

• Casing: Stainless steel and fibre-reinforced polymer

• Face: Corning Gorilla Glass 3

• Dimensions: 45 x 45 x 12 mm

• Weight: 38 grams

• Chip: Garmin multi-band GNSS

• Internal memory: 8 GB

• Battery life: Up to 12 days

• Water resistance: Up to 5 ATM

• Dust resistance: IP68 certified

• Connectivity: Wi-Fi / Bluetooth

• GPS: Yes

• Colours: Slate with Black Silicone Band / Slate with Brown Leather Band / Silver with Silver Grey Silicone Band / Silver with Citron Silicone band

• Health and wellness:

• ECG app

• Pulse and blood oxygen level

• Sleep score insights

• Wrist heart rate

• Abnormal heart rate alerts

• Respiration rate

• All-day stress rate

• Relaxation reminders and breathing timer

• Hydration level

• Women's health

• Skin temperature

• Health snapshot and status monitoring

• Jetlag advisor

• Lifestyle logging

• Incident detection with alert

• Assistance requests

• Live event sharing

• Other sensors:

• Galileo

• Barometric altimeter

• Compass

• Gyroscope

• Accelerometer

• Thermometer

• Ambient light sensors

🏆 What is the best Fitbit? Fitbit Versa 3

✨ If you want a dedicated fitness watch without other app clutter, choose the Fitbit Versa 3.

Choose the Fitbit if you only want to focus on the basics of getting healthy and fit, and don't need the bells and whistles of a more elaborate smartwatch.

Fitbit Versa 3 pros and cons

Fitbit Versa 3: features and benefits

With Fitbits, the latest isn't always the greatest. That's why we've chosen the Fitbit Versa 3 as one of the best smartwatches, even though there are now two later models. The reasons are straightforward. The newer Versa 4 and Sense 2 are superb watches in their own right, but some of the most popular features have been removed to simplify them. The Versa 3 supports a wider app ecosystem, and can integrate with third-party services like Uber or Spotify, which the others can't. Another difference is that it can store and play music. A clear and bright screen makes it easy to read your workout stats. It retains Wi-Fi connectivity, which inexplicably isn't supported by the Versa 4 or Sense 2. The Versa 3 also comes with Google Assistant. We need to stress that it's more focused on health and fitness features than being a complete smartwatch, lacking many of the productivity features of the other models here. That said, if you're looking for a well-rounded, dedicated fitness tracking watch at an accessible price, the Fitbit Versa 3 is a top choice.

Fitbit Versa 3 specifications

• Screen size: 40mm

• Display: AMOLED

• Screen resolution: 336x336 pixels

• Casing: Aluminium

• Face: Corning Gorilla Glass 3

• Dimensions: 44 x 44 x 12.35 mm

• Weight: 39.7 grams - 42.5 grams (depending on the band)

• Chip: Fitbit (undisclosed)

• Internal memory: 4 GB

• Battery life: Up to 6 days

• Water resistance: Up to 50m

• Dust resistance: Not certified

• Connectivity: Wi-Fi / Bluetooth 5.0

• GPS: Yes

• Colours: Black Aluminium / Soft Gold Aluminium

• Health and wellness:

• 24/7 heart rate tracking

• Heart rate trends

• Oxygen levels

• Cardio fitness levels

• Calorie burn tracking

• Workout effort

• Active zone activity tracking

• Menstrual tracking

• 20 goal-based exercise modes

• Sleep monitoring and tracking

• Sleep score

• Night-time skin temperature

• Night-time heart variability

• Other sensors:

• 3-axis accelerometer

• 3-axis gyroscope

• Barometric altimeter

• Ambient light sensor

Fitness usage scenarios for each model

The Apple Watch Series 11 is designed for connected fitness lifestyles. It can give you guided workouts through apps and track all your fitness routines, as well as monitoring your everyday activity. It can play music while you exercise too. It's the one to choose if you want real-time fitness and health metrics all combined to create comprehensive insights into your workout progress and overall health and wellness. These can be instantly synced to your iPhone and the Apple Health hub.

The Garmin Venu 4 is much more of a dedicated fitness watch, specifically created for all kinds of athletes, from cyclists to runners and hikers. It provides advanced metrics like training load monitoring, VO2 max and recovery time. It provides structured training schedules for specific sports, from tennis to marathon preparation. Its detailed insights provide data-driven improvement, with an extremely long battery life of up to 12 days to maintain consistent monitoring without having to charge it constantly.

The Fitbit Versa 3 is aimed more at everyday health and wellness and fitness habit building. It's most useful for people who want to build consistent healthy daily fitness routines. This could be increasing physical activity or gaining sleep insights for better rest. Choose this if you want simple insights to help you progress, rather than detailed metrics and performance analytics.

A few words on battery life

Battery life is a big consideration with smartwatches. A "normal" watch uses a coin battery that only needs to be replaced every few months or so. However, a smartwatch has an integrated battery that needs to be charged, just like your phone. It's here that the Garmin Venu 4 simply blows the Apple and the Fitbit out of the water with its superb battery life of up to 12 days. By comparison, the Fitbit's battery will last up to 6 days, which is also pretty respectable. Unfortunately this is where Apple falls a bit flat. All the extra features and functions of the Series 11 are wonderful, but as a result its battery only lasts about 24 hours, which means that you'll have to charge it every day. That's a big drawback in a smartwatch. The bottom line: if battery life is a priority, the Garmin rules supreme.

Comparing the best smartwatches from Apple, Garmin and Fitbit

*Prices listed from March 2026 and subject to change.

Shopping tips to save on the best smartwatches

✨ With Back Market there's no compromising on quality or performance.

The easiest and most convenient way to save money when you buy your next smartwatch is to shop for a refurbished one. That might sound like a downgrade option, but the truth is that a refurbished watch performs up to the same benchmarks as a new one. In other words, you're getting the same style, performance and specifications for a lower price. But don't just take our word for it. Here's what one of our recent customers discovered:  

"The watch arrived in excellent condition, just as advertised, and after a few weeks of use it works really well and meets my expectations. A straightforward and reliable experience overall." - Chris A.  

If that's not enough, we give you a 1-year warranty on any electronics you buy from us. We also offer an additional Back Market protection plan that includes two free repairs.  

Trade in any device for cash

Whether you buy something from us or not, you're always welcome to trade-in one of your old devices. It could be your current smartwatch, a smartphone lying in a drawer, a laptop or tablet you no longer use. We've made it dead easy. Just fill in your device specs on a short form and you'll get an offer from one of our verified refurbishers right away. If the price is to your liking, we'll pay for you to ship your device and you'll receive your payment within five working days.

How we ranked these best smartwatches

When creating this comparison of the best smartwatches, we considered the most popular things that people look for in a smartwatch, combined with important technological information, such as:

• Quality – we examined build quality and materials.

• Performance – we looked at a wide variety of performance benchmarks for each smartwatch.

• Main features and functions – we went through all the features and capabilities, using detailed specifications.

• Health and fitness features – we put a lot of emphasis on these central features of any good smartwatch.

• Expert sources and customer reviews – we confirmed our own recommendations by consulting other expert sources and reading our customers' reviews.