T3 Awards 2020: Apple Watch Series 5 is officially the top smartwatch of 2020

In the battle for your wrist, there can only be one winner, and that winner is the Apple Watch Series 5

T3 Awards 2020: Apple Watch Series 5 is officially the top smartwatch of 2020
(Image credit: Apple)

If you hadn't noticed, the T3 Awards 2020 party is now well and truly underway, with acclaimed technology from every walk of life getting the rightful praise it deserves. 

It's the world's best smartwatches that we're focusing on here, though, and we're happy to announce that the Apple Watch Series 5 has beaten off the tough competition to be crowned this year's out-and-out winner.

There's no doubt Apple is king when it comes to smartwatches, when you first put on the Apple Watch Series 5, the changes from the previous (and also T3 Award-winning) version feel subtle, but impactful.

For a start, the screen is now 'always-on' – displaying a dimmed monotone version of your chosen watch face. This means you can now furtively glance at the time without making a show of it, and you can see how long you’ve been working out for without having to move your hand from your exercise equipment.

It also gives you a chance to display your personal style.

In our review, we said, "Ultimately, the always-on screen is obviously, demonstrably superior to anything that came before, and it only takes a brief period of using the Series 5 before anything without the option feels comedically old-fashioned."

As well as the always-on display, you get a built-in compass, premium titanium model, and international emergency calling.

Put simply, the Apple Watch Series 5 impresses us greatly. The design is perfect, the screen is perfect, and the number of third-party apps and accessories is unrivalled. 

Full shortlist: TAG Heuer Connected, Apple Watch Series 5, Fossil Gen 5, Moto 360, Samsung Galaxy Watch Active2

  • Check out more of this year's award winners on our main T3 Awards 2020 page
Spencer Hart
Style and Travel Editor

As the Style and Travel Editor at T3, Spencer covers everything from clothes to cars and watches to hotels. Everything that's cool, stylish, and interesting, basically. He's been a part of T3 for over seven years, and in that time covered every industry event known to man, from CES and MWC to the Geneva Motorshow and Baselworld. When he's driving up and down the country in search of the greatest driving roads, he can be found messing around on an electric scooter, playing with luxury watches, or testing the latest fragrances.