We purchased the 8 Best Apple Watch Accessories so our expert reviewer could thoroughly test and assess it. Keep reading for our full products reviews.
The right accessories can significantly enhance the experience of owning and using an Apple Watch, whether it’s listening to music, engaging in extreme workouts, or simply charging your Apple Watch at night. Even though the wearable is a great standalone device on its own, there are a lot of cool things you can do to improve it.
For example, if you want to listen to music while working out but don’t want to bring your iPhone, a good pair of wireless earbuds make it simple and enjoyable. You don’t have to use the boring old Apple magnetic charging cable to charge your Apple Watch at night when you can spruce it up with an attractive stand that will keep your Apple Watch displayed in full view and even take advantage of its built-in Nightstand Mode. Rugged and waterproof cases that protect the Apple Watch from the elements will also be beneficial to outdoor sports and adventure enthusiasts. Anyone looking to take their Apple Watch to the next level will benefit from the best Apple Watch accessories.
We’ve rounded up some of the best picks below, across a wide range of different categories.
Your Apple Watch is more than just a health and fitness device; it’s also a fantastic portable music player that you can keep on your wrist at all times. Due to the lack of a traditional headphone jack, you’ll need to pair a pair of wireless headphones, with Apple’s AirPods (Check latest price on Amazon) being the best option.
Although you can technically use any Bluetooth earphones with the Apple Watch, the beauty of the AirPods is that, because they’re made by Apple, they not only pair with your Apple Watch seamlessly, but they also allow you to switch seamlessly between your iPhone and Apple Watch. You can even use an iPad, MacBook, or Apple TV to listen to music; once you pair the AirPods with one of your Apple devices, they’ll be automatically paired with everything else that’s signed into the same iCloud account.
This means you can simply plug in the AirPods and start listening to your favorite audio app, whether it’s music synced from your iPhone or streaming services like Apple Music or Spotify, both of which can be used directly on the Apple Watch. You can even use your AirPods to take phone calls while on the go if you have a cellular Apple Watch, saving you from having to talk into your wrist, and you can summon Siri with a simple “Hey Siri” voice command, allowing you to access playlists, songs, and albums, as well as check messages, set reminders, and control home accessories.
The Apple Watch and the iPhone are inextricably linked, so anyone looking for a good place to charge their Apple Watch is almost certainly looking for a good place to charge their iPhone as well. This is where OLEBR’s (Check latest price on Amazon) budget-friendly charging stand comes in, and it even comes with a bonus spot for charging a pair of AirPods.
Despite its low price, this charging stand has a stylish design and a solid construction, with premium silicone material that has a soft finish to protect your devices from scratches. The catch is that you’ll have to supply all of the cables yourself, which should come as no surprise given the low price. Threading all of the cables through from underneath, popping the Apple Watch magnetic charger into the ring, and lining up the Lightning connectors for your iPhone and AirPods are all part of the setup process.
The stand works with most common iPhone cases because you install and adjust the connectors yourself, though due to the location of the connector on the back of the stand, some of the thicker and more rugged protective cases may need to be removed to charge your iPhone. There’s also a notch for viewing videos in landscape mode, though you won’t be able to charge your iPhone in this position. This is a wired charger, with the exception of the Apple Watch.
If you have an Apple Watch and a recent MagSafe iPhone, you’ll appreciate the elegant simplicity that Belkin’s 3-in-1 Wireless Charger (Check latest price on Amazon) brings to the table—your bedside table, to be precise. This sturdy and attractive stand features a magnetically changing spot for your Apple Watch, as well as an Apple-certified MagSafe charger for your iPhone and a charging station for your AirPods or AirPods Pro.
The MagSafe connector is also capable of providing a full 15 watts of charging power to your iPhone, as well as charging your Apple Watch and AirPods at top speeds. Many other stands have magnets to hold your iPhone in place, but they can’t provide the full-speed 15W MagSafe charging unless they’ve been tested and approved by Apple, as this one has.
The 3-in-1 Wireless Charger comes in white or black and includes its own power adapter, so you can continue to use your regular iPhone or Apple Watch chargers elsewhere. Plus, while the charger’s base is designed to charge AirPods (or AirPods Pro), it’s just a standard Qi charger, so you can use it to charge any Qi-compatible device, including another iPhone, making it a great stand for couples even if you don’t have a pair of AirPods to charge.
The Twelve South TimePorter (Check latest price on Amazon) is a simple but clever Apple Watch accessory for frequent travelers, combining a storage case and an Apple Watch charging base into one. It has enough room to store several Apple Watch accessories, such as extra watch bands, cables, and travel adapters, or even your actual Apple Watch if you want somewhere to put it when you’re not wearing it. It’s about the size and shape of a typical eyeglass case and has enough room to store several Apple Watch accessories, such as extra watch bands, cables, and travel adapters, or even your actual Apple Watch if you want somewhere to put it when you’re not wearing it.
TimePorter, on the other hand, is unique in that it also serves as a charging station for your Apple Watch. The case has a hole for the charger and a cord management spool on the inside to keep the long charger cable out of the way, though you’ll need to supply your own Apple Watch magnetic charger as there are no cables included. Small holes on either side of the TimePorter allow you to close the case while it’s plugged in, allowing you to charge your Apple Watch by simply placing it on top. Alternatively, you can prop up your Apple Watch in Nightstand Mode by leaving the case open.
If you add a small battery pack to the TimePorter, you can use it as a portable charging station for your Apple Watch when you’re not near a wall outlet. On the inside, TimePorter is lined with silicone, and on the outside, synthetic leather. When your Apple Watch charger is needed elsewhere, a red rubber plug is included to fill in the hole, allowing you to use it as a regular case.
Related: The 5 Best Pocket Watches
Best Rugged Case: Spigen Rugged Armor Pro Apple Watch Band with Case
Spigen’s Rugged Armor Pro (Check latest price on Amazon) is an excellent choice for the active, rough-and-tumble Apple Watch user, offering the ideal balance of style and protection in a rugged watch case and strap combo that looks and acts the part.
This case is made of solid thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) and will protect your Apple Watch from daily wear and tear, whether it’s from a hectic workplace, high-intensity workouts, or extreme outdoor adventures. While the raised bezel does not provide direct screen protection, it helps to prevent screen damage by absorbing impacts before they reach the screen, and the shock absorbent layer ensures that side impacts will not dent or scratch your watch.
The matte finish with carbon fibre accents gives your Apple Watch a modern and durable look, making it feel more like an adventure and sport watch. It also comes with a built-in wristband that matches the case and has a secure metal clasp for a uniform overall design, so it’s not only a great combination for protecting your watch, but it’ll also help jazz up its appearance.
Related: The 6 Best Samsung Smartwatches
Best Portable Charger: Satechi USB-C Magnetic Charging Dock for Apple Watch
When you’re on the go, Satechi’s USB-C magnetic charging dock (Check latest price on Amazon) is a great way to keep your Apple Watch charged. It’s a pocket-sized Apple Watch charger that can be plugged in pretty much anywhere with a USB-C port, though it’s primarily aimed at MacBook users.
This makes it ideal for charging your Apple Watch while working in a coffee shop or airport lounge, as it will hang right off the side of your MacBook or USB-C equipped Windows laptop, allowing you to simply drop your watch on for a quick charge. It will, however, work with USB-C power adapters, battery packs, and even USB-C ports found in many newer model cars. It can even be plugged into the USB-C port on an iPad Pro or iPad Air 4th generation.
With USB-C ports becoming more common, it’s a useful device to have on hand whenever you’re worried that your Apple Watch won’t get you through the day, and because it uses such a small amount of power to charge the Apple Watch, you won’t have to worry about draining the battery on your MacBook or iPad while using this charging dock. It’s the closest you’ll get to having a USB-C port on your Apple Watch.
Related: The 6 Best Android Smartwatches
Best Waterproof Case: Catalyst 330ft Waterproof Case for Apple Watch
Although the Apple Watch is water resistant (Check latest price on Amazon), it is not waterproof—it is only water resistant—so if you plan to take your Apple Watch on deep dives or even strenuous outdoor adventures, you’ll want to invest in a truly waterproof case like Catalyst’s, which is good for dives up to 330 feet (100 meters).
Apple only certifies the Apple Watch to a depth of up to 50 meters under normal conditions, which do not include exposing your watch to soaps, shampoos, conditioners, or other similar chemicals, which can wear down the water resistance seals over time. The Catalyst waterproof case, on the other hand, with its IP68 rating, not only doubles the depth of water protection but also allows you to use it in a variety of other situations that the uncased Apple Watch wouldn’t be able to handle on its own.
This makes it ideal for scuba diving, water skiing, white water rafting, and other activities requiring deep dives or high velocity water. It’s also a good choice for anyone who just wants total water protection, and because it covers the entire Apple Watch, including the face, it also provides 6.6-foot drop protection and impact resistance.
Despite the fact that the Apple Watch has a heart rate monitor, some serious athletes may prefer the extra accuracy and advanced features that the Polar H10 heart rate monitor (Check latest price on Amazon) can provide to their workout. The electrocardiogram, or ECG, is used in this dedicated heart rate monitor, which claims to provide a level of accuracy that the Apple Watch’s optical technology can’t match.
The Polar H10 connects to your iPhone via Bluetooth, allowing you to feed your heart readings directly into the Health app. However, you don’t have to wear your Apple Watch while exercising because the H10 has enough memory to store a full training session, allowing you to upload the data later, and it runs for 400 hours on a single CR2025 replaceable coin cell battery.
With the Polar Beat app loaded on your Apple Watch, you can keep track of your readings in real time and receive smart coaching feedback. You can even use it in conjunction with a GoPro Hero to overlay your heart rate data on video. It’s also waterproof, so you can wear it while swimming, and the strap is machine washable, so you can throw it in the washer after a particularly strenuous workout.
Related: The 8 Best Apple Watch Bands
The Final Word
Apple’s AirPods are by far the best way to listen to audio from your Apple Watch, and they’re a must-have accessory for most Apple Watch owners. In addition, OLEBR’s 3-in-1 charging stand is a cost-effective way to charge your Apple Watch, iPhone, and AirPods when compared to similar devices.
