The smartwatch is no longer considered a novelty item, at least not as far as mobile- phone makers are concerned.
It seems everyone is jumping on the bandwagon – even Swiss watchmaker Swatch has promised to release a smartwatch in the next couple of months. One of the most anticipated devices, the Apple Watch, is about to go on sale.
Apple’s device however isn’t for everyone. You don’t have an iPhone or a spare €320? That doesn’t mean you’re destined to be bare-wristed for the foreseeable future. There are plenty of gadgets on the market, regardless of whether you use Android or iOS, with plenty more coming on stream in the next few months.
0 of 6
If you plan on investing in a smartwatch, here are some alternatives to check out.
Pebble
Time Steel
$250 (€230)
The original Pebble was a bit easier on your pocket than its successor, the Pebble Steel, but the Steel looked a bit more like a watch you’d actually wear every day.
Now there's a new version – the Pebble Time and, with it, the Pebble Time Steel.
Announced at Mobile World Congress, the Pebble Time has a colour e-paper screen and a built in microphone so you can respond to notifications in apps. It also has a new timeline interface, so you can pick up missed notifications, check emails and so on.
The main advantage of the Pebble is that it’s compatible with both iOS and Android, so you aren’t stuck with one system due to your choice of smartwatch. It also has a 10-day battery life, according to Pebble, so you won’t have to charge it every night.
It is not due to go on sale until later this year though, so if you want something similar now, the Pebble Steel is your best bet.
Sony Smartwatch 3
€229
Sony’s contribution to the Android Wear line is the Smartwatch 3. Compatible with Android phones that work with Bluetooth 4.1, Sony’s watch had the distinction of being the first Android Wear device to have GPS built in. That means you don’t need your phone for location services, which is handy if you’re a runner.
More watches will now have the GPS built in, but they’re following Sony’s lead.
The Smartwatch 3 comes with a 1.2GHz quad core ARM processor and 512MB of Ram, with 4GB of capacity.
Out of the box, it looks more like a sportswatch than a regular timepiece, but you can swap out the straps and change the watch face to customise it to suit your own taste.
LG Watch Urbane
TBC
One of the most common complaints about smartwatches – next to short battery life – is that they don’t look like the kind of watch you’d wear every day.
The stylish LG Watch Urbane uses Android Wear and connects to your smartphone, while looking for all the world like a regular watch.
It has a 1.3-inch circular display, 1.2GHz Snapdragon 400 processor, 512MB of Ram and 4GB of storage. It’s the aesthetics, though, that appeal the most – leather strap, metal face and it is available in gold and silver. It still has the heart rate sensor, so you can keep an eye on your pulse rate as you move between work meetings. There is another option: the LG Urbane LTE. The watch has a 4G connection built in but uses LG’s own platform and is a bit chunkier and more sportswatch-like than the regular Urbane.
The LTE version, as you would suspect, doesn’t need your smartphone to make calls or send messages. It comes with a 1.2-GHz Snapdragon 400 processor and 4GB of storage built in, with Ram bumped up to 1GB.
LG claims the battery will last for days (a claim we haven’t been able to put to the test yet), which partly accounts for the size.
Samsung Gear 2
€289
Samsung has been putting smartwatches out at a fast rate, from its original Gear to the fitness-focused Gear Fit. The Gear 2 builds on some of the lessons learned from the initial push into wearables.
The watch still allows you to take and make calls from your wrist, and comes with a 2 megapixel camera built in. But it has been refined a little, and uses Samsung’s own Tizen software that makes it more customisable than its Android predecessor.
The screen is 4cm (1.6ins) and super AMOLED, so it’s bright and vibrant. There’s a heart rate sensor built in, and it’s water and dust resistant so you don’t have to be too careful where you take it. The battery only lasts about two to three days with normal use, but if you aren’t using it too much you could squeeze longer out of it.
Nevo
$250 (€236.50)
Sometimes you just want something simple.
The Nevo is a minimalist smartwatch that will track your activity, deliver your phone notifications and even has an option for solar charging.
As with Pebble, Nevo’s creators went for the crowdfunding option, with a campaign on Indiegogo. It has managed to reach 645 per cent of its funding goal, and has been tagged as an “In demand” project on the site.
Perhaps the appeal is its extreme simplicity.
You can set activity goals and, at the push of a button, the lights built into the watch face will tell you how you are getting on. Colour LEDs are optional.
Its Bluetooth connection can be used to keep track of calls and texts, with a vibrating alarm to alert you.
Most importantly, it is powered by a regular watch battery – two of them to be exact – and it never needs to be charged.
Huawei Watch
TBC but listed on Amazon Germany as €999
Simple name, simple design. The Huawei Watch is another MWC 2015 announcement, and its design follows the new trend for less visible tech and more standard watch aesthetics.
The Huawei Watch has a built-in heart-rate monitor and connects to your phone to give you notifications.
Compatible with Android devices that work with Bluetooth 4.1, the watch also has motion sensors and a barometer, so it can track your movements.
There are no details on pricing yet, but stay tuned.
