If you have an iPhone and you want a smartwatch, buying an Apple Watch is a no-brainer, and for most people, the Apple Watch Series 9 is the best option available. But we also found plenty of reasons to like the budget-friendly Apple Watch SE and the sportier Apple Watch Ultra 2, which replaces last year’s Ultra but looks identical.

The Apple Watch Series 9 has the best combination of features and apps for the price—if you’re looking for a smartwatch for yourself, we think it’s the one to buy. But the 2nd-generation Apple Watch SE is a great first smartwatch (or gift for a family member), though it offers fewer features and lacks an always-on display. Our upgrade pick, the expensive, rugged, and huge Apple Watch Ultra 2, is designed for athletes but also ideal for anyone who wants a gigantic screen and lengthy battery life.

Top pick

With an always-on display, two sizes to choose from, and advanced health and fitness features, the Apple Watch Series 9 is great for buyers upgrading from an older Apple Watch.

The Apple Watch Series 9 offers the best combination of style, health and fitness features, app selection, battery life, and price of any smartwatch for any platform. Available in body sizes of 41 mm and 45 mm, it has more active screen area than the Apple Watch SE and watches released prior to the Series 7. The Series 9 also offers more premium features than previous models, including support for Apple’s Double Tap gesture, as well as two temperature sensors, car-crash detection, emergency SOS, an always-on display, blood-oxygen measurement, ECG, and fast charging. It’s available in aluminum or stainless steel.

Budget pick

The SE offers many of the same key features as the Series 9, minus an always-on display and certain health-tracking tools, for a much lower price.

The Apple Watch SE is slightly smaller than the Series 9, coming in 40 mm and 44 mm case sizes, which makes it a bit easier to wear for folks with small wrists. However, its slightly smaller screen wakes only when you tap it or raise your wrist, so it isn’t as useful for telling time. It also lacks the temperature sensors, ECG feature, and blood-oxygen measurements of more expensive Apple Watches. Otherwise, it does the same Apple Watch–y things, including notifications, heart-rate monitoring for health and fitness, and crash detection, and it costs at least 30% less depending on the configuration, making it an appealing choice for anyone on a tighter budget.

Upgrade pick

In the Ultra 2, you get all the Series 9’s flagship features, plus a whole lot more, such as lengthy battery life and a rugged design—but it’ll cost you.

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is a rugged smartwatch designed to compete with dedicated diving watches and running watches from the likes of Garmin. The Ultra 2’s 49 mm case size gives it the biggest display of any Apple Watch, and with an increased display brightness of up to 3,000 nits (a unit measuring brightness), it’s also the easiest model to see in blazing sunlight. In addition to its larger size, the Ultra 2 has a few key design differences that separate it from other Apple Watches, including a flat-edged screen, a 30% larger Digital Crown, and a side Action button for quickly launching an app. All those features, combined with its lengthy battery life—more than double that of the Series 9—make the Ultra 2 an absolute beast. Due to its size and price tag, it’s overkill for many people, but for some, the features may be worth the upgrade.