While this is a device that's definitely more fitness
tracker than smartwatch, it's not completely devoid of smart skills.
However, like I usually advise, you probably want to go with a dedicated fitness tracker
rather than a smartwatch if fitness is your primary concern.
Something which makes even more sense when considering that yesterday's hardware event included pretty much everything
other than a smartwatch.
The one immediate benefit of course, is that traditional watches do hold some of their value over time and certainly much
better than a smartwatch will.
For those of you who like to live on the cutting - edge side of the tech world, there's no better status
symbol than the smartwatch.
Google launched Android Wear back in 2014, as a platform for wearables, although it mostly only has smartwatches right now (one could argue that the Polar M600 is more of a fitness tracker or even a fitness
watch than a smartwatch).
Fitbit also claims the Ionic will offer a four day battery life, which is quite a lot more
than smartwatches on the market, but less than devices like the Garmin Forerunner 735XT that come with a couple of weeks life.
There are lots of positives, including strong battery life, Fitbit Pay and built - in GPS, but there's also a lot missing, and that leaves this device feeling more like a fitness tracker, rather
than a smartwatch in terms of features.
More a fitness band with
benefits than a smartwatch, the Band is perhaps best compared with the Samsung Gear Fit that launched earlier this year.
The Q Crewmaster is beautifully built, has a curved glass cover over the face, is water resistant to 50 meters, and feels far
tougher than any smartwatch, meaning you won't be as concerned about its wellbeing if you plan on wearing it to the gym or out and about on a daily basis.
With a fully - circular display, a watch strap design that you'd associate more with high - end
jewelry than a smartwatch, and of course Android Wear running on top of it all, the ZenWatch 3 ticks many of the right boxes.
This is more of a fitness
machine than a Smartwatch, it is IP67 certified (dust proof and water resistant — up to 1 meter) and as per the company the VivoWatch gives up to 10 days of battery backup on a full charge.
The Gear Fit 2 is significantly
cheaper than any smartwatch you can buy, and it's even cheaper than many Fitbit devices, despite having more features.
Plus, it looks stunning, at least from the images, much more
so than the smartwatches that have come out of Samsung's stable until now.
But even though that's wider than some of its Android competition, on the wrist it feels much
smaller than any smartwatch I've used, with the possible exception of the original Pebble.
The company is positioning this device to appeal to wristwatch lovers rather
than smartwatch fans, and while that seems like something of a far - fetched proposition, it's obvious that Huawei has worked very hard to construct a high - end wearable here.
It's actually a better
display than the SmartWatch 3 despite the lower pixel density — colors are more vibrant and, straight on at least, it offers a pleasant enough experience — but after using the Huawei Watch and Moto 360 (2015), this just doesn't cut it anymore.
While setting up an Android Wear watch, Reddit user H3x0n found a new name, «Wear OS» — a similar name to Apple's «watchOS,» and one that's much more platform -
agnostic than the smartwatch operating system's current title.
That's because the Neptune Pine is more of a wearable
computer than a smartwatch, and with its 3G radio, 2.5 - inch color touch screen and 1 GHz single - core processor, it's seeking to replace your phone.
By having Apple, who doesn't make wearables
other than smartwatches, at the top, the market analyst also implies that smartwatch sales have overtaken plain fitness wearables.
The ZenWatch 3 may be older now but it's still a great watch, and it comes with Android Wear 2.0 as well as a stylish design that looks more like a standard
watch than a smartwatch, and to some that might be the biggest part of the appeal.
The wearable is available in a slim, wristband style more akin to traditional Fitbit
trackers than a smartwatch and ships in electric blue or power purple options for just $ 99.95.
By differentiating it as a fashion piece
rather than a smartwatch, Intel and Opening Ceremony have arguably side - stepped the bulk issue.
At the same time, the notification system on the Fit2 Pro is
better than some smartwatches (coughFitbitIoniccough), and even most of the negatives are nitpicks.
If that trend continues with the Apple Watch, I have no doubt customers will find more useful things to do with
it than the smartwatches already out.
This makes it far more viable as a fitness tracker
than some smartwatches, and makes it especially appealing to anyone who wants to monitor changes in their resting heart rate.
Samsung also imagines this will be more
than a smartwatch, encompassing the truer meaning of «wearable».
While Pebble's last product, the Pebble 2, is more of a fitness tracker
than a smartwatch, Fitbit's acquisition of Pebble could mean that the company is looking to expand beyond the fitness band industry that it dominates.
Essentially a sportier version of the Moto 360 (2015), the Moto 360 Sport stands out through its built - in GPS, so you can track your runs without your phone, and through its fairly low price, which puts it more in competition with fitness trackers
than smartwatches.
The Huawei watch looks more like traditional analog watches
than a smartwatch.
Anyone who thought the hubbub around this year's IFA would be about anything other
than smartwatches was just kidding themselves.
Other
than the smartwatch, Fitbit is planning to bring a pair of Bluetooth earphones in the market.
The language is designed to conjure up imagery of traditional mechanical timepieces, like those of Rolex or Breitling, rather
than smartwatches.