Best accessories for Apple Watch in 2024
Make your Apple Watch even smarter!
The best accessories for Apple Watch are those that can make you look stylish, charge up your watch super quick, or just give you a good place to put your bands at the end of the day. It will likely depend on the type of user you are. If you like to go for a run, you may want a nice band that can handle all your adventures can throw at it. If you are a big fan of music, you might want an audio source to play it with.
With there being three main types of Apple Watch out there — the SE line, Series set, and Ultra range, our list of the best accessories will focus more on the first two as they share the same sizes and are compatible with the same band types and more. However, if you are looking to charge your wearable or store your band, some of these accessories will work with all Apple Watch types.
Here are the best accessories for Apple Watch right now.
Quick list
Best 3-in-1 charger
Best 3-in-1 charger
So good it is sold on the official Apple Store, Belkin’s BoostCharge Pro 3-in-1 wireless charger is both a great-looking stand and an excellent way to charge your devices as you sleep. With the ability to charge the best iPhones are 15W, you will have no problem keeping your devices topped up.
Best band for sports
Best band for sports
When the Apple Watch arrived, so too did Apple's impressive lineup of Sport Bands. Available in everyday and seasonal colors, the latest collection was designed for the Apple Watch Series 9, although it also works with all models after Series 4. Made from a custom high-performance fluoroelastomer, the Sport Band is durable, secure, and amazingly soft.
Best power bank
Best power bank
There are power banks that have bigger charges and more flashy designs yet iValux’s offering is special in a different way. Being both a 100mAh power bank and keychain ring, you can charge your Apple Watch in mere moments and with ease thanks to its portability. It’s also very budget-friendly.
Best for audio
Best for audio
The magical third-generation Apple AirPods is powered by the Apple H1 headphone chip and comes with a MagSafe wireless charging case. AirPods use optical sensors and motion accelerometers to always know when they are in your ears. To adjust the volume, change the song, make a call, or get directions, say, "Hey Siri." This makes it easy to adjust audio while moving.
Best for storage
Best for storage
The von Holzhausen Watch Band Portfolio neatly displays, organizes, and transports your Apple Watch bands and accessories. It is made from Technik-Leather, which is 100% animal-free and sustainable performance fabric that's durable and easy to clean. Inside it's lined with soft microfiber made from recycled plastic water bottles.
Best for travel
Best for travel
When you’re on the go, you don’t always want to wear your Apple Watch, especially when you’re sleeping. Moko’s Storage Box not only looks great and is super secure, but also allows users to charge their Apple Watch while displaying it. This can function as a makeshift stand when in need and is great for flying, driving, and more.
Best colorful band
Best colorful band
The Solo Loop is Apple’s most colorful watch band, thanks to regular color refreshes. Just recently, a brand new Pink, Soft Mint, and Ocean Blue range launched so you are spoiled for choice. Made from silicon rubber, the Solo Loop is capable of stretching easily and doesn’t require a buckle or clasp — making it great for all kinds of lifestyles.
Best heart rate monitor
Best heart rate monitor
Being both available at a great price point and being able to easily pair with your Apple Watch, Polar’s H9 is a great heart rate monitor that is perfect if your watch isn't quite as accurate as you would like. Coming with two different easy-to-wash straps, you can clip it on and get monitoring in mere moments.
Best case
Best case
Otterbox’s stylish and super sturdy All Day Case is excellent for someone looking for a case that will stand out. Given it is available in tonnes of colors and feels super secure on the watch face, you can wear it without worrying about breaking your precious wearable.
Best 3-in-1 charger
1. Belkin BoostCharge Pro
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Belkin’s BoostCharge Pro 3-in-1 wireless charger offers super speedy charging rates in a reasonably compact stand, all powered with just a single wire. It can be a bit of a dust magnet and can be somewhat cramped for the iPhone 15 Pro Max, but these are only small downsides for an otherwise excellent device.
If you are looking for a good place to put your Apple Watch, iPhone, and AirPods while you sleep, this is an excellent choice that will charge them all up super quickly. Being able to charge an iPhone at 15W, you are only taking a small hit from the 20W the standard wired charger works at, and it’s entirely wireless. Given it is entirely flat, Belkin’s charger can even be popped in a bag to go with you as you travel and it’s super sturdy so you don’t need to worry about it breaking.
If you don’t mind losing a charging port and want something that looks a lot better, the Belkin BoostCharge Pro 2-in-1 charger is a little cheaper and looks like a sculpture.
Best band for sports
2. Sport Band
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The Apple Watch Sport Band is a fluoroelastomer-based band that is both very durable and great for swimming, as it dries in no time. Similar to rubber in feel, it can take a little while to get used to, and having a strap that clicks into holes to fit around your wrist means you may end up with it feeling a little looser or tighter than you might want.
However, once you are over those small growing pains, you are left with a band that is very unlikely to break as you exercise and can be cleaned super easily thanks to a material that doesn’t take in water. If you’re looking for a band that will serve you day to day but also fare well in the gym or at sea, this is an excellent choice thanks to its smart design and great material.
As well as all of this, the Apple Watch Sport Band has a wide array of colors available and also tends to get new colors a few times a year. The new Sunshine yellow color is a particular winner and almost worth the upgrade for that lovely look alone.
Best power bank
3. iValux portable wireless charger
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When your Apple Watch dies, it essentially becomes a paperweight attached to your wrist. Luckily, with the ability to fully charge it in just over an hour, it doesn’t take very long to get your wearable back in business. iValux’s portable wireless charger has 1000mAh of charge, which is nearly double the Apple Watch Ultra 2, the best Apple Watch right now. Though this isn’t a huge amount of charge in raw figures, Apple Watches are relatively undemanding, which means you can get up to a few days worth of charge with just the portable charger.
Being a simple keychain, it can be held with you at all times without even having to think about it. It also looks fairly inconspicuous. With a simple USB-C cable, it can be charged up and even has four handy LED lights to signify the level of battery. This makes it easy to charge up just before going out, whilst knowing how many charges you have left before you have to start charging it again. With built-in security features like short-circuit protection, over-current protection, and more, you never have to worry about carrying this tiny little charger around with you.
If all of this isn’t quite enough for you, iValux offers the portable charger in a whole host of color options, like a sleek Black, eye-catching Blue, and a vibrant Rainbow color. If you find your Apple Watch running dry earlier than it should, this is a great solution.
Best for audio
4. Apple AirPods 3
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The Apple AirPods 3 are not only super convenient but have excellent connectivity for linking to your other Apple devices and are also super comfortable. Doing away with the buds of most earphones, AirPods aren’t capable of Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) like the more expensive AirPods Pro 2 range but also have an instantly comfortable fit.
With a new contoured design, up to six hours of listening time out of a single charge, and spatial audio for dynamic head tracking, the AirPods 3 are an excellent audio source that can be hooked up to your Apple Watch, allowing you to move between tracks and change the volume in just a swipe. This is an excellent accessory for someone who likes to go running but might not have room on them for an iPhone. They can be popped in and can play music downloaded directly to your Apple Watch. They also have IPX4 water resistance, making them tackle sweat and water easily.
If you have a bigger budget and really want ANC, you could opt to go up to the rather great AirPods Pro 2 but you also have to think about which fit suits you most. Bud tips aren’t for everyone.
Best for storage
5. von Holzhausen The Watch Band Portfolio
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Though the idea of a $99.95 device to hold Apple Watch bands in might feel a little extravagant, Von Holzhausen’s The Watchband Portfolio makes up for that price with an excellent look and feel. Made from Technik, a vegan leather alternative that can biodegrade in landfills, it has room for six Apple Watch bands, as well as two interior pockets and one exterior pocket. This means you could throw two chargers in it and even your Apple Watch when you aren’t using it. Alternatively, you could give yourself a room for some Apple Watch cases, to swap out on the fly.
It is stain, crack, and water resistant, whilst being a third of the weight of the same size case made from Leather. Thanks to that special material, it can be easily cleaned with nothing but soap and water. It has a nice handle on the top to easily carry it around with you, whilst staying small enough to pop in a bag and go. If you have enough Apple Watch bands to take advantage of all that space and even want to display them on a table, this is the best way of doing so, thanks to its durable material and great look. Von Holzhausen even sells its own Apple Watch band, made in a fantastic-looking vegan leather. If you’re looking for an excuse to get a new band and want somewhere to store it, Von Holzhausen can sort out both of your problems.
Best for travel
6. Moko storage box
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Moko’s storage box is an excellent choice for anyone looking to display their Apple Watch on their nightstand or take it with them on the go. With the exterior being made from a durable and wear-resistant PU material and the inside made from soft Silicone, it’s a case you can pop into a bag without any worries about breaking your Apple Watch while you do so. It’s a surprisingly cheap device that is excellent for when you want to travel with your Apple Watch without wearing it. If you find your Apple Watch to be uncomfortable on a flight, this is a solution that will ensure it stays safe throughout.
As well as this, the box comes with the ability to pop an Apple Watch charger in the middle, meaning you can use to it display your Apple Watch while it charges overnight. Though it doesn’t have room for a spare band or two, it does have the capacity to pop a pair of AirPods in it. Assuming you will have your best iPhone in your pocket and the best Mac in your backpack, this is a great way to hold the rest of your Apple devices. With it coming in Black, Navy Blue, Rose Gold, and Space Gray, it looks pretty good to boot.
Best colorful band
7. Solo Loop
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Apple’s Solo Loop is a great choice for anyone looking for a cheap Apple Watch band with a bit of color. Thanks to fantastic additions like Soft Mint, Pink, and Starlight, there’s a good array of options here that can go with nearly any Series line Apple Watch. One of the more interesting features of the Solo loop is the fact that it doesn’t have a buckle or pins to put one side of the band into the other. Instead, the material is designed to be stretched around your wrist.
On the official Apple website, you can put in your wrist measurements to get given a number, which will determine your specific band size. This is both one of the biggest selling points of the band and the thing that will put some off. You can’t adjust the size too much after buying so have to be very comfortable in the size. As well as this, the fact that it holds to your skin means that it is less good for sports and general exercise than bands specifically designed for movement. The material is less breathable but great for day-to-day use.
Best heart rate monitor
8. Polar H9 heart rate monitor
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If you’re looking for an affordable heart rate monitor that is more accurate than your Apple Watch, The Polar H9 is an excellent choice with a comfortable and soft strap to go with it. The benefit of using a small coin battery means that you will never have to charge the heart rate monitor. After about 400 hours of use, it will need replacing but this is a cheap and easy fix that you won’t need to worry about for a long time. If you want to keep an eye on your heart rate and are a little unconvinced by the accuracy of Apple’s offering, the H9 is a really great choice at a good price point.
Thanks to that price point, you can get the better Polar H10 model for not much more, especially when accounting for sales but this is a really great choice at its price and well worth the money. It doesn’t have built-in storage, which means you will be reliant on other tech like your iPhone or Apple Watch to store all that data but you will be doing that anyway if you pick it up to go with your Apple Watch. If you are someone who cares about fitness or you have a health condition you want to stay on top of, the H9 is worth getting on your radar.
Best case
9. OtterBox All Day Case
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Otterbox’s Eclipse Apple Watch case is perfect for someone worried about scratching the front of their wearable. With a protected glass front and plastic bumpers to wrap around the digital crown and buttons, this not only looks great but is super sturdy. Thanks to that casing, it is entirely drop-proof and great if you find yourself bumping your Apple Watch off door frames or doors as you are out and about. If you haven’t gone for the rugged Ultra lineup of Apple Watches, this mimics a little bit of that security without the huge price point.
The Eclipse comes in traditionally sleek colors like Black and Beige but also more vibrant and eye-catching themes like Yellow, Pink, and Rose. Paired up with the right band, this could really pop, making up for the bulkiness of having an extra case on your device. Thanks to that tempered glass top, the screen stays just as sensitive and responsive as it should. It is also super easy to remove and put back on again as it doesn’t require any real installation. You can pop it on and go about your day.
Lots of incredible choices
You can always trust iMore.
The best Apple Watch accessories enhance the wearable device experience. You can choose our favorite accessory, the multi-functional Belkin Boost Up Wireless Charging Dock that's priced right. For something different, consider the Moko Storage Box or von Holzhausen The Watch Band Portfolio. These accessories will bring you years of enjoyment. The only limit is your creativity and the size of your wallet!
If you're looking for a charger, a great-looking band, or a travel case, you've come to the right place! One or more likely several of the products on this list will prove useful if you love your Apple Watch.
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James is a staff writer and general Jack of all trades at iMore. With news, features, reviews, and guides under his belt, he has always liked Apple for its unique branding and distinctive style. Originally buying a Macbook for music and video production, he has since gone on to join the Apple ecosystem with as many devices as he can fit on his person.
With a degree in Law and Media and being a little too young to move onto the next step of his law career, James started writing from his bedroom about games, movies, tech, and anything else he could think of. Within months, this turned into a fully-fledged career as a freelance journalist. Before joining iMore, he was a staff writer at Gfinity and saw himself published at sites like TechRadar, NME, and Eurogamer.
As his extensive portfolio implies, James was predominantly a games journalist before joining iMore and brings with him a unique perspective on Apple itself. When not working, he is trying to catch up with the movies and albums of the year, as well as finally finishing the Yakuza series. If you like Midwest emo music or pretentious indie games that will make you cry, he’ll talk your ear off.