Google's Wear OS is one of the most widely used smartwatch operating systems.

Known as Android Wear until it was rebadged several years back, there have been plenty of new features added in Wear OS 3.5 to help it compete with the likes of Apple, Garmin and Fitbit.

Over the past couple of years we've seen Wear OS 3 roll out to the wider stable of smartwatches under Google's banner, from Fossil Group through to the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 and - of course - Google's own Pixel Watch.

Related
Best smartwatches: Expert tested and reviewed
From the newest Apple Watches to Android options, these are the best smartwatches for tracking time and fitness, according to our testing.

In this guide, then, we'll be detailing what we believe are the very best watches to run on Wear OS by Google. There's something for every budget and every style, and if you're still not sure which to opt for after reading our choices, dive into the section on how to choose the right Wear OS smartwatch.

Best Wear OS smartwatch: Our top and tested picks

Pixel Watch 2 on wrist - closer
Google Pixel Watch 2
1. Best WearOS experience

With Fitbit integrated, along with great health sensors in a watch that's absolutely gorgeous - and with fluid lightweight software - the Pixel Watch 2 is a brilliant all-rounder. With a bigger size available and longer battery it'd be practically perfect.

Pros
  • Fitbit integration means brilliant health/fitness tracking
  • Beautiful design
  • Water resistant to high levels
  • Wear OS software as it should be: fluid and fast
Cons
  • Battery life still not amazing
  • No wireless charging

There are a few reasons the Pixel Watch 2 makes it to the top of our list of the best Wear OS watches. But the one feature that really stands out after testing it is the Fitbit integration. The way Fitbit translates your physical fitness and performance, digests it, and then presents it in a way that's really easy to understand makes it one of our favourite fitness and health platforms. You can go digging down into data if you want to, but Fitbit offers a way to understand the data in a way that just makes sense.

pixel watch 2 - on wrist - close up -1
Pocket-lint

Just like the first-generation model, the design really sets it apart from the rest of the Wear OS market. The way the glass seamlessly curves into the aluminium case is just gorgeous, and the small size means those with smaller wrists can easily wear it. What's more, the user interface is really clean, lightweight, customisable and fluid. It gets a lot right.

That's not to say it's perfect. We'd still love to see longer battery life and support for wireless charging - which seems an unusual omission - but the rest of its benefits mean we can live with it.

Galaxy Watch 6 Classic - customisation
Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic
2. Best WearOS watch for traditional watch design
$381 $400 Save $19

The Watch 6 Classic has all the advanced software and fitness features of the Watch 6, but in a watch made from stainless steel and with a design that's a lot more similar to a traditional watch than the basic model.

Pros
  • The classic design looks good
  • Rotating bezel means you're not just limited to the touchscreen
  • Lots of advanced fitness abilities
  • Durable and water resistant
  • Big, bright display with skinny bezels
Cons
  • Battery life could be better
  • Lots of preloaded Samsung apps/features
  • Not the cheapest

Samsung's 'Classic' variant of the Galaxy Watch 6 offers all the same features and abilities of the regular model, but in a product that looks a lot more like a traditional watch than the bog-standard version does.

Just like the basic model, the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic comes in two sizes, and that means both those with smaller or larger wrists are well-catered for. And the fact that most of that space on the front is taken up by display means you get great visibility from the bright, colour-rich panel.

Galaxy Watch 6 classic watch face

Where Samsung's watches differ from Google's, is the experience is very heavily skinned and geared towards being tightly integrated with Samsung phones. That means Samsung Health for fitness tracking, Samsung Pay for mobile payments and Bixby as the default assistant. However, because it's Wear OS, you can still have Google's stock options instead.

It's a fully-featured watch that looks like a watch, but also has decent battery life, a great screen and it's designed to take a beating. Plus, that rotating bezel around the display means it has a unique selling point.

TicWatch Pro 5
Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 5
3. Best WearOS watch for battery life

The Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 5 offers unrivalled battery life thanks to its clever dual-layer display technology. It's also the fastest option available, thanks to the inclusion of the latest Snapdragon W5+ chip.

Pros
  • Excellent battery life
  • Clever dual-display technology
  • The latest Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 chip
Cons
  • No Google Assistant
  • Bloated app structure
  • Lacking compelling fitness software

The biggest problem with Wear OS smartwatches is that the system is very battery-hungry, so options that will last for more than a day on a charge are few and far between. Mobvoi has solved this problem on the TicWatch Pro 5. It uses an ingenious ultra-low-power always-on display, which is layered over the top of the OLED panel. This gives you the benefits of an all-day display, without the battery drain, and means that this watch can easily go four days between charges with most smart features enabled.

TicWatch Pro 5

If that wasn't enough, it's also the first watch to sport Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 chip, which means it's one of the fastest and smoothest Wear OS experiences we've had to date.

It's not all perfect. It's only available in black, and in one (pretty chunky) size - so it won't be the right watch for everyone. Plus, the fitness tracking platform isn't as capable or well thought through as Fitbit on the Pixel Watch or Samsung Health on the Galaxy Watch. But for sheer performance and for the money, it's one of the best models available today.

Galaxy Watch 6 water drops close up
Samsung Galaxy Watch 6
4. Best basic Wear OS watch for Samsung users
$269 $300 Save $31

Galaxy Watch 6 is Samsung's latest smartwatch, offering a larger screen and faster processor than its predecessors. It's also more durable and comfortable to wear.

Pros
  • Comfortable and lightweight
  • Affordable price
  • Tonnes of useful fitness features
Cons
  • Bloated software
  • Design is a bit plain

If you're a Samsung phone user, few smartwatches will offer the companion experience for your phone like the latest Galaxy Watch. It's designed to tie in perfectly with your Samsung, including access to any of the Samsung account features. Of those, Samsung Health is the driver of the experience and offers a huge number of fitness and health features.

Galaxy Watch 6 on wrist rings watchface
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You get in-depth sleep insights and coaching, plus advanced health metrics like the body composition tool that can tell you how much of your mass is skeletal muscle, fat or water. Add that to accurate heart rate during workouts, advanced running insight, and the usual selection of SpO2, stress and ECG sensors, and you get pretty much all you could ask for in a watch.

It's not a massive improvement on the Galaxy Watch 5, but the more durable Sapphire Crystal on the screen, the larger display and smoother performance are all welcome upgrades. If you get the basic model you won't have to pay all that much for it either.

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Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro
5. Best Wear OS watch feature set
$400 $450 Save $50

The top of the line Galaxy Watch offers great battery life, build quality and a rich feature list.

Pros
  • Good battery life
  • Great-looking, durable design
  • Strong feature set and lots of fitness tracking options
Cons
  • It's a little expensive
  • Only works with Android phones

When it comes to a balance of features, performance and value, the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro strikes the right balance. You'll easily get 2-3 days of battery from the watch, if not more, and it has all the sensors for fitness tracking that you'd need.

That includes an accurate multi-band GPS system, and a very accurate heart rate sensor that works well - even for HIIT sessions - plus you get all the proper smartwatch stuff like offline music, contactless payments and interactive notifications, downloadable apps and messages.

Galaxy Watch 5 Pro hardware photo 11
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With its durable Titanium case, raised bezel and Sapphire Crystal display, it can take a beating too. All in a device which - while not cheap - is not hideously expensive either. The only real downside is that Samsung only offers it in one size and in two different case colours. Other than that, it's great. There's a reason Samsung kept it in its product portfolio after launching the Galaxy Watch 6.

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Tag Heuer Connected Calibre E4
6. Best luxury Wear OS watch

It may be limited on the fitness tracking front, but there's no smartwatch that compares with the Tag in terms of craftsmanship and design.

Pros
  • Stunning design
  • Durable build
  • Great looking custom watch faces
Cons
  • Very expensive
  • Heart rate sensor isn't very good

For some, the ideal smartwatch is one that's got that premium, luxury feel, but still delivers the basics you'd expect from a wrist-worn gadget. That's where the Tag Heuer Connected Calibre E4 comes in.

The case is a stunning, sculpted and polished hunk of titanium, and it's capped off with sapphire crystal and ceramic, with great attention to detail. Even the buttons have that look and feel of a feature the designers really cared about. They're so clicky, practical and good-looking.

Add to that some very nicely rendered custom watch faces - with brilliant AOD modes, and the best watch strap design you're likely to ever see on a smartwatch, and you have a truly high-end piece of smart jewelry.

It's expensive, and the heart rate sensor isn't very responsive, but it's a great watch.

How to choose a Wear OS smartwatch

It's actually a very interesting time to buy a Wear OS smartwatch - and that's something that hasn't necessarily been true over the last few years. With Wear OS 3/Wear OS 3.5 and the Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 ushering in a new generation of performance and more companies launching watches, what should you consider before you buy?

We've answered the following queries to help you narrow down your choice from the options above.

Does your smartwatch need Wear OS 3?

As we've covered throughout this guide, the arrival of Wear OS 3 was a fairly big landmark for the platform. You can read all about the ins and outs of the update in our Wear OS 3 explainer, but, essentially, Samsung's Tizen and Google's Wear OS were blended into one unified platform. The result is big performance increases, new features (like app switching, improved watch faces, improved Tiles) and a fitness tracking experience that will be powered by Google-owned Fitbit (at least on the Google Pixel Watch). Most watches launched now run on this latest version of Wear OS.

What will you use a smartwatch for?

No matter which Wear OS smartwatch you settle on, it must fit into your lifestyle. As we always advise with our smartwatch or fitness tracker guides, you need to understand what you'll actually use your smartwatch for.

Do you exercise a lot? Chances are you need to focus your attention on something like the Pixel Watch 2 or Galaxy Watch 5 Pro. Do you prefer something that promotes style and smartwatch features? You're likely best looking at the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic. Want something that can do it all, no matter the price tag? Check out the TAG Heuer Connected Calibre E4.

How much do you need to spend?

Price is always a very important factor, which is why our list features a varied range. However, this is made pretty simple, too, by the fact that Wear OS smartwatches are, in our view, very reasonably priced compared to rival models from Apple.

The truth is, unlike with Apple Watch devices, spending more doesn't necessarily grant you a better Wear OS experience. The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic is an outstanding watch, but it also doesn't break the bank. The Tag Heuer Connected, meanwhile, is more basic on the software front but costs a four-figure sum.

As we've outlined, it's more important to pick a watch that's future-proofed and fits your lifestyle.

Wear OS v Apple Watch - which is best?

Historically, the Apple Watch has far outperformed the capabilities of Wear OS. However, with the arrival of Wear OS 3, that gap is closing, especially with the arrival of the Pixel Watch. Likewise, the latest Samsung watches are, as we've said, a great example of what the platform is capable of.

For a full ranking of devices from across different ecosystems, check out our complete best smartwatch guide.