The Best Smartwatches Available In 2016
There was a time when we used to show off our digital or cartoon printed watches. That was really a time when we savor moments with things, not technologies. Now, with top-notch, high-end smartphones launching all the time, watches have lost their importance. Wearing simple watches seems like a thing from the past.
But, the watch industry has inverted entirely now. The word “smart” is also suffix of watches. Smartwatches are booming with popularity and are going to stay around in the future as well. Let’s review some best smartwatches available in 2016.
Why Should You Buy A Smartwatch?
The smartwatch market is relatively new as compared to the smartphones. But, it is following the same trend and direction as the smartphone market created before it. Some people believe that a smartwatch works like a smartphone, however, that’s not correct. There is no comparison between a smartphone and a watch because at the moment, many smartwatches require a smartphone to perform certain tasks and to utilize their complete feature sets. That being said, smartwatches are great for getting access to information in quick glances and making quick responses. Additionally, smartwatches are excellent health companions.
A good way to test a smartwatch for its performance is to figure out its capability as compared to your smartphone. If it handles your tasks well enough like the smartphone, then you can go ahead and buy a smart watch after choosing a style you like. More considerations are important like the battery life, style and color, water resistant power, notifications and cameras.
Have a look at the list and choose the most intriguing smartwatch for yourself;
Apple Watch
Apple has made an effort to produce its first smart watch. Similar to other Apple devices, the Apple watch gives too many features and takes a lot of getting used to before you can handle it easily.
The Apple watch will cost you at least $349 for the baseline Sport model or more depending on additional bands and accessories you may want to buy. The company also offers a more expensive Stainless Steel model simply called Apple Watch, and an even more expensive “Edition” model.
Apple Watch is an iPhone tailored watch. It relies on the operating system called WatchOS that works in conjunction with your iPhones operating system, iOS.
It is a convenient and better suited watch for those people who love Apple gadgets and are ready to pay a higher price. The design is stylish and functional, but it does have one drawback which is the battery life, as the Apple Watch lasts only one day on a full charge, meaning you will likely have to charge it nightly.
The watch is well integrated with Apple’s iOS operating system so it seamlessly connects with the iPhone and can perform tasks like calling and texting easily. The Apple Watch also features 8GB of internal memory storage that can be used for native apps or to store music.
As mentioned earlier, pricing for the Apple Watch is a bit on the higher end, ranging from $349 to $399 for the Sport version, $549 to $1049 for the Apple Watch version, and $10,000 to $17000 for the Apple Watch Edition.
The RAM memory included in this watch is 512 MB. A power graphics card and a sound speaker are built-in. Bluetooth 4.0 fits well in the new watch. The battery is Li-Po 20Mah with 38mm / 42mm dimensions. The watch is also compatible with iOS 8.2.
Free fitness oriented features are very significant from Apple provided in this watch. The watch has been tested for water resistance, the results shows that using it in the water like swimming pools and beach can void its warranty. The damage can be caused by not properly following the Apple guidelines and if kept for longer period, water can damage it.
The watch comes with a built in heart rate sensor. It is capable of receiving notifications. Siri virtual assistant is also available for voice commands. WatchOS can support Watch Kit, which a third party app is running in the background of iPhone. Hermes model comes with a stainless steel body that looks very beautiful.
A lot of talk is going on in New York Times and Wall Street Journal about the Apple Watch lately. The main issue is the battery life which barely lasts one day. People with tattoos and changing skins face difficulty using heart monitoring feature. The monitoring feature cannot record the exact reading of the heart due to skin changes. Despite these little noticeable flaws, the watch has still done exceptionally well in terms of sales.
Sony SmartWatch 2
At a price of $40 the Sony SmartWatch 2 is a good solution to your powerful personal needs. It gives you reasonable specifications when compared to the money spent on buying it. The original version was not really impressive.
SmartWatch 2 has improved in a lot of areas with its new design and battery. It gives you an option to download a whole lot of apps that will enhance your experience.
SmartWatch 2 is an innovative design watch, which appeals to elegant people. The battery performance is enhanced to 4 days of continuous working. There is no need for frequent recharges. It looks good on any personality, in any situation, and on any occasion. The time is always shown on the screen. Another appealing thing is that the time is always displayed whether you are checking your notifications or not. SmartWatch 2 is not vulnerable to water either, it sports water proof body which is also dust-resistant with IP57 certification. The display is also scratch resistant.
It comes with many dedicated apps acclaimed by the developers worldwide. These apps provide facility for health and fitness, social networking, imaging, productivity and a number of other popular entertainment sources.
SmartWatch 2 has no problem with Smartphone or tablet running Android 4.0 or later. Software updates are easily available as well. This is one watch you can completely enjoy during your work and fun time.
LG G Watch
Another really beautiful watch to get your hands on is the new LG G Watch. This is an Android Wear smartwatch released with the mutual cooperation of LG and Google on June 25, 2014. The Smartphones running Android 4.3 OS are all compatible with G Watch. It also supports Bluetooth.
It was first made available in the United Kingdom for £159 on the Google Play Store. Now it is widely distributed in the international markets like Australia, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, South Korea, and Spain.
This beautiful watch has a round face and an OLED screen. The processor is Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 and the CPU is Quad Core 1.2 GHz. It has the services like Google Play Store and Google Now. It is light weight and weighs only 63g. The IP67 body is purely water resistant with a clear display and no buttons on it. It is easily chargeable with good battery life.
Microsoft Band
The Microsoft Band is the most magnificent Microsoft product ever. It does a lot of useful stuff for its users and pulls it completely well. Different user experience reveals that it has some battery problems. But, there have been lot of improvements since the first band has launched.
Microsoft Band is a lovely product with a price tag of $199 (£170, around AU$230). The cost is high when compared to other smart watches but Microsoft kept everyone curious and almost shocked them with the release of new Band.
The band has 1.4-inch TFT (320 x 106 pixels) full color display. The screen provides crispy images. The display is fine for all your desires, but if you have to read your emails, it might give you a bit of a hard time.
That being said, user reviews have been positive on band so far. They are able to read a lot of things clearly. The band is far more fancy than other bands around.
Vector Watch Luna
Many companies are using different approaches for developing new smart watches. It is indeed good news that Vector Watch Luna is designed with a different style. It has a month-long battery life.
Some users have reported that the apps are poor on this one, but good news is that the overall functionality is improving over time with software updates being released time to time. Some point in the future, it is expected that the watch would be higher in rankings for notifications and battery power.
It has a square face which does not give it a shape of a toy for a 10-year old kid. There are three controls on the body of the watch. It’s not too thick nor is it considered a gigantic smart watch, in fact, it looks like an ordinary wrist watch of 20th century. The design looks equally good on both male and female wrists.
Due to having no backlight, the display at night can be a challenge to see. Notifications can be modified and tailored according to the preferences. The screen is ordinary and it has no touch feature to it. Local weather widgets are activated in the watch and it can even keep track of the calories you burn.
Despite issues with connectivity between the watch and your smartphone those have been solved with software updates. The most powerful thing is its battery life, which is observed to have a time period of one month. While other smart watches hardly last for ten days, Vector Luna provides extraordinary long battery time. It does not make or receive calls, so if you need a call making and receiving functionality, then this watch is not for you. It tells the time and is a treat for those people who do not want to use their charger for as long as a month’s time.
Sony SmartWatch 3
The Sony SmartWatch 3 is the successor of Sony SmartWatch 2. It already has many successful rivals in the market like Moto, Apple and Microsoft.
It has a built-in GPS connectivity, which gives you the freedom to leave your watch at home when you are out for jogging. This reduces the risk of losing it by falling off your wrist. The screen is a little dull compared to other smart watches of 2016. The steel body gives a classy look and yet it weighs in at only 42g with a wrist strap.
It is compatible with Android 4.3. The watch is available in elegant colors like black, steel and yellow. It has ambient light sensors, compass, Gyro, Accelerometer, 512MB of RAM, Microphone and a Wi-Fi Connectivity.
Wrist straps are also available in different colors. The screen display is good and the battery life is reasonable. MicroUSB charger is available to charge the battery whenever needed. Not many significant drawbacks are found, except the non standard watch straps and the charging port maybe fiddly. The processor is 1.2 GHz Quad core.
The powerful Sony watch is not cheap when coming with all these features. It costs $250 (about £189.99, AU$299.99).
Sony SmartWatch 3 eliminates the need for iPod, MP3 player or any other music device. You can fill all your favorite music into the SmartWatch 3. The battery life is not as good as of some other rivals around, but it does give you decent two-day life without charging. The fitness app is brilliant; it lets you know about your fitness level after running or exercise. The GPS is super great feature by Sony that separates this watch from all the others. It gives a good reading of the distance when you are away from home. The built in compass is free; allowing you to find your way to home or office easily. Accelerometer tracks every activity you are performing during the day or night time.
The built in Wi-Fi eliminates the need for picking up your phone and open your apps, the apps can be immediately opened on the SmartWatch 3. The notification app sync notifications from your phone to bring you the desired information about anything you need.
LG Watch Urbane 2
LG has started producing the second generation of its Watches and the best item is Urbane 2. LG Urbane two offers a whole range of good features. It comes with wireless connections, including 4G and 3G giving it the ability to make and receive calls just like the Smartphone. It connects with your Smartphone smoothly.
The LG Watch Urbane 2 has a P-OLED display with 1.38-inches, 348ppi, and is backed up by the standard Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 chipset. The memory is 768MB RAM with a 4GB of internal storage capacity. It gives you the facility of listening to music and tracks your route with incredible GPS inside.
The LG Watch Urbane 2 is compatible with Android and iOS operating system. The elegant colors available are Space Black, Opal Blue, Luxe White and Signature Brown. According to LG, the watch will be hitting the US and international markets from the beginning of 2016.
The beautiful strap around the wrist cannot be changed. Changing the strap on this model may cause some hardware problems. LG has some built-in hardware in the strap which is indeed a new style for 2016 smartwatch.
Samsung Gear S2
Samsung plans to introduce latest smartwatch Gear S2 in 2016. The watch will be released internationally. This beautiful watch is developed by Samsung and will come in two designs.
It will run on Tizen operating system with a rotating bezel, making it look rectangular in shape. The display of Gear S2 is 1.2-inched with 360 x 360 pixel resolution .There will be Wi-Fi model as well as a 3G version available for independent connectivity.
The Gear S2 has two buttons for navigation. It is currently being sold in United States at the price of $299. The classic models cost $349. The price and availability for United Kingdom has yet to be confirmed.
Gear 2 works with a variety of Android phones. It has a nice and lovely design. The bad thing about the watch is that fewer apps are available and no speaker phone is built into it. The bottom line is that Samsung new smart watch has a whole new style but it should have more apps to compete well in the market.
Motorola Moto 360
Motorola Moto 360 is the second generation smartwatch by Motorola. It has improvements and new updates. It is commonly known as Moto 360 2.
It offers good new features and is expected to be successful in the future as it has two versions, one for men and the other for women. The choice available for men is black, silver and gold colors. The women can choose from metallic bronze, silver and gold options. The obvious design variations are also noticeable when it comes to men and women’s versions. This is really interesting for both genders. The design is 42mm for women and the men can have 46 mm design.
Looking at the specs, it comes with super Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 with a 1.2GHz quad core CPU, replacing the old TI OMAP3630 processor from the first generation.
In addition to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 CPU with 1.2 GHz, it runs on Adreno 305 with 450MHz. It also comes with standard 512MB RAM and 4GB of storage capacity that is same as the previous model.
The OS is Android Wear and it is compatible with Android 4.3 and iPhone. The battery is 300Mah to 400Mah for both versions. The great useful sensors are Accelerometer, Ambient Light Sensor, Gyroscope, Vibration/Haptics engine which adds value to the watch. The optical heart rate sensor is included to monitor heart rate. It is dust and water resistant but not waterproof.
Tag Heuer Connected
Tag Heuer is thinking of doing a good business in the smart watch industry. It has officially unveiled its first smartwatch – the Tag Heuer Connected.
The watch is available in a number of elegant colors and the case is made of Titanium Grade 2. The bezel comes with an anti-fingerprint coating. The Tag Heuer is 46mm in diameter and has a thickness of 12.8mm. It is light weight with 52g. It has a smooth circular LTPS LCD touch display. And the resolution is 360 x 360 pixels, which delivers a pixel density of 240ppi.
There is a 410mAh battery with a 1.6GHz processor and 4GB of internal memory. The RAM is 1GB. It has a price of £1100 and a two-year warranty.
The beautiful strap come in green, blue, orange, red, white, black, yellow colors. The future looks promising for Tag Heuer due to good features and normal price.
Lastly, if none of these watches are doing it for you and you’re looking for a cheap gag gift for someone, hover here and check out this silly Bluetooth speaker watch.
Do you plan on buying any one of these watches before 2016 is over?