Smartwatches in goods test: Apple Watch Ultra loses to the savings model

25 fitness watches and trackers
Smartwatch hammer in product test: Apple’s savings model beats the Apple Watch Ultra

Smartwatches are becoming increasingly popular. But the differences in price and features are big. Stiftung Warentest has now tested 25 smartwatches and fitness trackers. One result in particular surprised.

Keeping an eye on your own performance during sports, notifications on your wrist and paying without having to pull out your wallet: a smartwatch offers many advantages in everyday life. Stiftung Warentest has now checked which of the watches are particularly good. Apple is likely to see the results with mixed feelings.

There is a simple reason for this: with the Apple Watch Series 8 and the Apple Watch SE in first and second place, the iPhone group is the clear test winner. The Apple Watch Ultra, the 1000 euro expensive top model of Apple’s Smartwatch, only comes in third place. Nevertheless, Apple’s result is of course impressive: all three current models land on the podium. Only second place is shared with Garmin.

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Apple Watch: The standard model at the forefront

The best overall package from Apple is the standard model, the Apple Watch Series 8 (you can find the detailed version here star-Test). It masters the important fitness functions with flying colors, heart rate and distance measurement are among the best in the test. when it comes to pedometers, some of the competitors do a little better. The particular strength, however, is the smartwatch functions: Thanks to the good communication features and the enormous versatility due to the numerous apps, no other watch in this category comes close to Apple. However, the battery life of 12 hours in training mode and 58 hours without it is only mediocre. Nevertheless, the watch only just missed the top rating: “good” (1.6) is the overall result. But that has its price: the Series 8 costs at least 400 euros.

If you want to pay less, there is a cheaper alternative from Apple itself. The Apple Watch SE is the somewhat slimmed-down savings model. In the goods test, the difference was hardly noticeable. Compared to the Series 8, the heart rate measurement is not quite on the same level, but still good. The somewhat slimmed-down display also ensures a minimal devaluation. But also for a longer runtime: The Apple Watch SE lasts 17 hours in sports mode, manages a whole 77 without. The overall rating is almost equivalent with “good” (1.7). This ensures a high savings potential: The Apple Watch SE costs from 275 euros.

The top model, the Apple Watch Ultra (you can find the test here, including athletes’ assessments), is primarily marketed by Apple as a robust model for extreme athletes. But it is precisely when it comes to sports functions that it has to take a beating compared to the standard model, such as heart rate measurement. And: Although the watch should be particularly protected according to Apple with a titanium case and sapphire glass, the other models in the goods test laboratory are just as stable. With 12 hours of sport and 104 hours without, the runtime has increased significantly compared to the standard model. Warentest still finds that too little. A rating of “good” (1.8) is only enough for third place. If you consider the price from 860 euros, this is a very sobering rating.

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Fitness King Garmin

According to the product test, if you want the best sports measurement, you should use another manufacturer anyway – namely Garmin. The Venu 2 Plus is the only one that achieves an almost perfect rating. Especially together with the battery performance of 22 hours in sports mode and over 200 hours without it is a strong sports companion. As a smartwatch, however, it cannot keep up with the competition. In almost all areas, it has to lag behind Apple. With the overall rating “good” (1.7), it still shares second place with the Apple Watch SE.

Incidentally, Garmin is also at the forefront when it comes to fitness trackers. The tracker Vivosmart 5 is the only “good” (2.4) tested in the current test field. He measures heart rate and steps first class. Because GPS is missing, however, the distance measurement is simply lousy. Of course, you shouldn’t expect smartwatch functions at the level of smartwatches with a pure fitness tracker anyway. But it has a longer runtime: the Vivosmart 5 manages 33 hours of sports tracking. Without sports it is still 158 hours. The price: from 125 euros.

Saving tip Huawei

By the way, the Stiftung Warentest names a watch that does not appear in the current test as a savings tip. The Huawei Watch Fit 2 Active is regularly available for less than 100 euros. Huawei is particularly convincing when it comes to fitness functions, which even perform better than those of the Apple watches. The battery life is also impressive at 200 hours. As a smartwatch, however, it is only average. As a total package of price and what’s on offer, it’s still hard to beat with an overall rating of “good” (2.1).

You can find the full test for a fee at test.de.