More than just keeping track of time, watches today can do so much more. They even save lives! They monitor your health, track your location and some of them can even pass off as fashion accessories too. Sure, fans of traditional analogue watches might scoff at us. There’s nothing like the “expert craftsmanship and intricacies” of traditional watches they’ll say, but who says we’re competing with them?
Smartwatches have become a category of their own and every other day we see new ones pop up. With that in mind, we’ve rounded up five smartwatches for your consideration.
Apple Watch Series 5
You can never go wrong with getting a smartwatch from Apple. Released just last month, the Series 5 looks nearly identical to the Series 4 but look under the hood and it’s something else. There’s twice the amount of storage (only 16GB for the Series 4) for all your music and apps (which you can now download straight from the watch!). WatchOS 6 also comes with an incredible suite of fitness and health features — the latter which has even saved people’s lives.
Though already an existing feature for other smartwatches, the new always-on display is nifty. You no longer have to raise the watch for information. Instead, you’ll have all the information you need at a glance.
Oh did we mention you can now combine your watch body with any band? The body comes in titanium and ceramic and with so many bands out there, you’ll have no trouble wearing it as the ultimate fashion accessory if you’re an iPhone user.
The Apple Watch starts from $599 and available in natural titanium, space black titanium and ceramic white Get it now from Apple. For technical specs and more info, please click here.
Huawei GT 2
While Huawei has already toppled Apple as the number two smartphone seller, it’s got some ways to go in the smartwatch arena. But what it has got going for it is it’s great battery life thanks to its proprietary Kirin A1 chip. Compared to Apple’s Watch Series 5’s 20 hours, you’ll be getting power for “up to two weeks” according to Huawei.
On top of the basic step-tracking, there are 15 other fitness tracking options that come with data analysis which Huawei says “is like having a personal intelligent sports coach to make your exercise safer and better”.
One of the nicer features of the smartwatch is a dedicated music app that allows you to store up to 500 songs with its , which is nice to not have to bring along your phone for a run anymore. The Huawei GT 2 also comes in plenty of premium-feeling styles and designs.
Price and availability of the Huawei GT2 TBA.
PUMA smartwatch
Made for sports enthusiasts, the Puma smartwatch is one of the lightest smartwatches out there at just 28g. The case is made out of aluminium and comes with a textured silicone strap for grip and breathability — something sports fans will appreciate. Built on Google’s WearOS platform, it’s powered by a Snapdragon Wear 3100 processor, one of the latest chipsets that promises more efficient processing and better battery performance.
On top of the standard step and heart rate monitoring, you’ll get a built-in GPS, waterproofing up to 3ATM, Google Pay, Google assistant and a slew of fitness and workout apps. If you’re a runner or a sportsperson that just wants something to feel like it’s barely there on your wrist, the Puma smartwatch is the one for you.
The PUMA smartwatch will be available in November in white, black and neon. Price TBC. For more info, click here.
Garmin Fenix 6 Series
The Fenix series is one of the best multi-sport smartwatches you can get on the market now but that comes with a hefty price tag too. Garmin’s well-known for its GPS tech, and right out of the box, the Fenix 6 has topographic maps for the great outdoors and as well as over 2,000 ski maps and 41,000 golf courses.
But one of the key features has to be the integration of a solar panel into the display. If you thought Huawei’s GT2 battery life was impressive, get this: Garmin estimates an extra 3 days of power, on top of the battery’s already impressive 21 days lifespan. Wew. Not only that, you’ll be able to disable apps you don’t need on the fly to help save even more juice.
It’s rugged, it’s long-lasting and if you’re an outdoorsman, maybe getting this smartwatch would be the smart thing to do.
The Garmin Fenix 6 series starts from $929 in silver, rose gold-tone, carbon gray and titanium carbon and available now from all authorized retailers. For more info, click here.
Fitbit Versa 2
The Versa 2 fits the bill if you’re looking for an entry-level smartwatch. Design-wise not much has changed since the Versa but the Versa 2’s been updated with some improvements that should make it a more attractive buy than its predecessor.
Known for its fitness trackers since the company came about, the Versa 2 features all of Fitbit’s advanced fitness and sleep-tracking tech. But this time, Fitbit’s decided to focus even more on its sleep tracking. For example, the watch is now able to provide an easy-to-understand Sleep Score out of 100. It monitors your deep sleep and can even wake you up at an appropriate time so you have optimum rest and sleep.
If you already own a Versa, there probably aren’t many reasons for an upgrade to the Versa 2. But if you’re looking to step into the world of smartwatches, the Versa 2 can be a good starting point.
The Versa 2 is available in emerald, bordeaux, black, stone, petal, smoke woven and navy & pink at $318 at all leading local retailers. For more info, click here.
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