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There are just three models of Apple Watch — and $500 separates the most affordable from the premium model, with the flagship landing somewhere in between. Before the launch of the overhauled Apple Watch SE 3 in late 2025, it was pretty easy to direct most people to the Apple Watch Series 11. But with its new display and faster charging, the budget model makes a lot more sense now. There's also a case for recommending the refreshed Apple Watch Ultra 3 to diehard adventurers and outdoor enthusiasts. Here, we spell out just what differentiates the models as well as what you get when you buy any Apple Watch. Using insights gleaned from Engadget's own reviews, this guide will help you pick the best Apple Watch for you.
Best Apple Watch in 2026
What to look for in an Apple Watch
Like all Apple products, Apple Watches will only work with other devices from the brand's ecosystem. You won't be able to pair any Apple Watch to your Android phone. Note that you can pair other wearables (like a Garmin tracker or a Fitbit band) with your iPhone. There are some more features that are specific to Apple Watches and that set each of th
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 Apple today released new public beta firmware for the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, and AirPods 4. The firmware is limited to developers and public beta testers at the current time, and it has a build number of 8B5034f. Apple first provided this firmware last week, but it was only available to developers at the time.
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 Apple today provided developers with the first beta of an upcoming iOS 26.4 update, which adds quite a few new features to the iPhone. There's a video podcasts feature, updates to Stolen Device Protection, end-to-end encryption for RCS messages, an Apple Music tool for generating playlists, and much more.
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 The macOS Tahoe 26.4 beta that Apple released today includes a Charge Limit feature for the Mac. There is a new slider bar that lets Mac users select a charge level from 80 percent to 100 percent.
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 Apple is testing secure messaging between Android and iOS devices with iOS 26.4, iPadOS 26.4, and macOS Tahoe 26.4. The updates introduce end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for RCS messages, a security feature that is not currently available for cross-platform messaging.
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 Apple has lined up its first event of the year. The company has invited members of the press to an "Apple Experience" that's taking place in New York City on March 4 at 9AM ET. It hasn't yet confirmed whether it will stream the event publicly. According to MacRumors, versions of this Apple Experience will also take place simultaneously in London and Shanghai.
It seems likely that Apple will take this opportunity to unveil its latest slate of iPads and MacBooks. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported earlier this month that Apple was planning to make a number of hardware announcements "as early as the week of March 2."
AppleThis is expected to include a new MacBook Air and refreshed 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros, with the M5 Pro and M5 Max making their debuts (a MacBook Pro with the base M5 chip arrived in October). There's also speculation that Apple will
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