Why do you need to know which is the best smartwatch? Well, if you’re tired of pulling out your smartphone every time you receive a new e-mail, notification or some other alert, you could really use a smartwatch. They’re ingenious little gadgets that also double as fashion accessories and make your life easier, so it’s not really about whether to buy one, but which one to choose.
No question about it, the most popular and talked about is the Apple Watch. We’re not so sure it’s the best smartwatch, but we decided to give it a special mention right up here at the top since so many people rave about it. After a superficial research you’ll notice that people can’t seem to be indifferent to the new Apple Watch: they either love or hate it, with very few ratings in between.
Here’s what we think:
What we like:
- The materials used and its design are modern and of the highest quality
- Customizable with multiple watch faces
- The user-friendliness that Apple accustomed us to
- Its effectiveness – it truly feels like an extension of your iPhone that goes on your wrist
- Fast
What we dislike:
- The technology used for production could have been better
- The “wrist raise” feature (i.e. the sensor that lets it know when you raise your wrist so it can display the time and preserve energy otherwise) could be improved, especially if you’re lying down
- Although Apple praised the fitness function of their watch, we’re not too keen on it and could use a lot of improvement
- Battery only lasts one day
- Very pricey
For iPhone owners who afford to pamper themselves with this luxury commodity, it probably wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. After all, it is fast and user-friendly and, more importantly, a trendy accessory.
Best smartwatch that uses Android
Huawei Watch
Although one of the most expensive smartwatches, the Huawei Watch is worth its price. It has premium materials and awesome specifications, and you can just see they put a lot of thought and work into it. Functionality is not really a plus against other Android smartwatches since they all use the same version of Android, but the Huawei Watch is swift and by far your only choice if you’re looking for the best smartwatch for iPhone or Android. Oh yeah, didn’t we mention it? It’s also iPhone compatible!
What we like:
- Elegant, sophisticated design and top tier materials and technology; it’s a beauty
- Best processor out there
- AMOLED screen with sharp, strong colors
- Android & iPhone compatible
What we dislike:
- Only one size option
- Lacks GPS
- Battery life: about 2 days
- Pricey
Samsung Gear S2
You can really see progress when comparing Samsung Gear S2 both with its predecessors and its competition. The most important feature of the best smartwatch Samsung gave us is the rotating bezel, which drastically improves navigation. Samsung also introduced the new Tizen, a promising OS that is still too “young” to be harshly judged.
What we like:
- Modern, yet elegant design
- Intuitive, easy to use interface
- Great for navigation thanks to the rotating bezel ring (which works perfectly)
- sAMOLED display with sharp colors and 302ppi
What we dislike:
- Some users reported connectivity issues
- Limited number of apps on Tizen (for now)
- S Voice is a bit flawed and slow
LG G Watch R
The LG G Watch R is one discreet smartwatch that, at first and maybe even second glance, will be passed off as a simple sport watch. Although almost all Android smartwatches have limited performance and features not because of their hardware, but because of Android Wear, the LG smartwatch series shows a lot of promise and seems a powerful competitor on the best smartwatch market.
What we like:
- P-OLED display with strong colors and great resolution
- Great performance
- Sporty design
What we dislike:
- Battery life: 2 days
- Pricey
Pebble Time
The successor of Pebble definitely is the best cheap smartwatch you could get right now. Although it lacks certain features like touchscreen and there’s a long way between Pebble Time’s design and any of the other watches we’ve talked about, it still is a great choice if all you plan on doing with it is connecting it to your Android smartphone to get a glimpse of your notifications or use it as a fitness tracker.
What we like:
- Great performance
- Android & iOS compatible
- Waterproof
- Intuitive, extremely easy to set up and use
- Great battery life, with up to 7 days between charges
- More color options
- Great price
What we dislike:
- Design & texture seem a bit cheap
- Display is a bit dark
- Lacks touchscreen & buttons require a bit of energy to push
Even though many people still don’t see any use in having one, trying out one of the best smartwatch gadgets for a day will make them instinctively look at their wrist anytime they hear a notification sound for a long time. It’s a tool that saves you a lot of time by making messages, calls, e-mails and notifications easier to interact with. There’s no doubt smartwatches are here to stay and will only get better, smarter and more versatile.