Apple Watches are available in various styles and price points. For seniors, we recommend the impressive Apple Watch Series 9, which offers a brighter display than its predecessor, a new chip, and all the latest health and fitness features, including an always-on altimeter and a blood oxygen monitor (Sp02) at a great price. You can purchase this model with GPS or GPS + Cellular.
We've also included two alternative options to help you make a better-informed decision based on you needs and budget. Once you've picked your Watch, be sure to take a look at the best cases for it.
Quick List
Best overall
The flagship Apple Watch S9 is the best choice for anyone buying an Apple Watch, including seniors. You get an excellent Always-On Retina LTPO OLED display that's easy to read and operate, strong battery life and all the latest health and fitness features, including a blood oxygen sensor, hearts sensors, temperature sensing, and more.
Best on a budget
The Apple Watch SE isn’t as technologically advanced as the S9, lacking key features like the always-on display and built-in ECG functionality. But it’s still an excellent and, crucially, far cheaper alternative, with most of the core activity tracking tech present. The Watch SE supports heart rate tracking and can send notifications if it detects irregular heart rhythms.
Best for visibility
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is marketed at adventurers in need of a rugged wearable that can withstand the elements, but it’s also a great pick if your eyesight is an issue, as the Ultra 2 has the biggest and brightest display of any Apple Watch. It sports all the same advanced health tracking tech as the S9, as well as safety features like fall detection and emergency SOS.
Best Apple Watch for Seniors: in depth
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The best Apple Watch for Seniors overall
The Apple Watch Series 9 is Apple’s flagship Watch and has the best combination of features and comfort. It features an always-on altimeter and a blood oxygen monitor (Sp02), as well as an electrocardiogram (ECG) system capable of detecting whether you're experiencing cardiac abnormalities such as atrial fibrillation. There's also a built-in fall detection tool that automatically contacts emergency services if you fall, temperature sensing, and more. The Apple Watch Series 9 also includes a relatively loud speaker (which is ideal when receiving calls), a wide range of colors and finishes, and plenty of storage capacity for your favorite photos, podcasts, and music tracks.
The always-on Retina display has an edge-to-edge design that ensures it’s clear and easy to read in any lighting scenario, and with this model Apple doubled the brightness from its predecessor, which makes a big difference when using it outside.
If you plan on using your watch without your iPhone, consider the GPS + Cellular option. Otherwise, go with the less expensive GPS model. Regardless, the Apple Watch 9 is the best Apple Watch for seniors this year.
The best Apple Watch for Seniors on a budget
If you’re looking for the core Apple Watch experience and don’t need every advanced health and hardware feature, the Apple Watch SE is the one to consider. It has a large, bright display, and an S8 SiP processor that will be plenty fast enough for most people. Unlike the S9 and Ultra 2, the display is not Always-On, so you need to raise your wrist or tap the display before it illuminates.
What the SE notably lacks is features like the ECG and blood oxygen monitor found in the more premium models, though it does retain a heart rate sensor and supports Crash Detection, which was added to the Apple Watch feature set a few years ago.
If you’re looking at an Apple Watch for the basic features, like tracking workouts, logging your sleep and iPhone notifications, and want to pay as little as possible, the Apple Watch SE is a great choice.
The best Apple Watch for visibility
While we would recommend the Apple Watch S9 to most seniors, perhaps your eyesight requires you to have the largest and brightest possible display. That’s where the Apple Watch Ultra 2 comes in. With a maximum brightness of 3,000 nits and a minimum of just 1 nit (useful in very low light like the cinema), it’s the Apple Watch display that is easiest to see, which makes sense as this rugged model is ideal for outdoor adventures in bright sunlight. The battery life is also around double that of the standard S9, which is always useful.
The 49mm Always-On LTPO OLED display is expansive and can display lots of information at once, without you having to squint. But be aware that the increased visibility does come at a cost, with the casing being (in the words of our reviewer) ‘obnoxiously thick and heavy’, which will be a boon if you’re climbing mountains or kayaking, where it’s likely to take a knock or two, but could just be an annoyance with more casual use.
Otherwise, the Ultra 2 is just as capable as a health and fitness watch as the S9, with crash and fall detection with Emergency SOS, alerts from the heart rate monitor and a built-in ECG. And it has the same powerful chip to boot.
Q & A
What is the best Apple Watch for seniors?
If you're a senior looking for a new Apple Watch, you'll quickly notice there's a wide selection of versions available. Our favorite model for most folks in this category is the flagship Apple Watch Series 9, which offers the latest bells and whistles, including an always-on display, fall detection, ECG monitor, Sp02 monitor, and other goodies.
The Apple Watch Series 9 features the most edge-to-edge display on a Watch to date and the best internals available in multiple styles and price points. Find the one that's perfect for you, and have fun buying new bands to complement your purchase.
Looking for more? Consider our favorite Apple Watch accessories of the year.
Why are Apple Watches good for the elderly?
Having an Apple Watch can be useful for senior folks, with their blood monitors, heart rate monitors, and exercise tracking. They're easy to set up, and the latest models will even report a fall to the local authorities or your friends and family in the instance that you can't help yourself.
