Smart watches Details | Get Features Specification at Exhibit.tech

Best of CES 2022

CES is the most influential tech event globally, and just like ordinary people await a new year, tech enthusiasts wait for the CES event, which offers them a head start to begin the new year on a good note. The 2022 edition unveiled numerous out of the box products for which it has been known since its inception. Due to the ongoing Covid situation and fear of new variants like Omicron, many publications (including us) were unable to attend the CES 2022 physically.

However, the technology came in as a rescuer, as most of the publications preferred to participate in the world’s largest electronics expo remotely, making the show kind of Hybrid. The event was vast like always, but we’ve mustered up the things in categories and top picks to make things easier for you. The 52nd edition of the event spotlighted the latest innovations from leading companies such as Google, Qualcomm, Sony, Samsung, LG, BMW, and many more.

Top TVs at CES 2022

CES is known as a battleground for TV makers, and every year the show floor looks packed with several top-notch TVs, and this year was no different. Amongst the top TVs revealed at CES, the one that grabbed our attention was the Sony A95K QD-OLED, world’s first consumer QD-OLED TV which can display the full spectrum of colours even in the brightest settings.

Though, the display panel of A95K is made by none other than Samsung. We expected Samsung might come up with QD-OLED 4K TV, but the South Korean tech giant had other plans. Samsung launched its 65″ QD-Display TV with quantum dots that combines a groundbreaking new QD-OLED display. The decision went well as the TV won the Best of Innovation award at CES 2022.

Besides Sony and Samsung, LG TVs were the ones that held our attention. The company presented a number of 8K and 4K OLEDs, several new QNED mini-LED TVs, and even a MicroLED TV at CES 2022 to compete with its rivals. Along with these companies, Panasonic announces a sound-focused OLED TV to attract all the audiophiles out there.

Top Laptops at CES 2022

CES 2022 introduced several new top-notch laptops, which means the year is going to be a busy one in terms of laptop launches. The 2022 event of CES witnessed a vast number of laptops with full-HD (1080p) webcams, thanks to the work-from-home culture. The event also became a launching platform for new components like Intel (12th Gen CPUs) and Nvidia (GeForce RTX 3070 Ti and 3080 Ti laptop GPUs).

Design is the first thing we notice when looking at the techie things, and Dell XPS 13 Plus is something else in terms of design. The futuristic laptop has a remarkable design, decent specs, and it directly competes with the MacBook Air lineup. The minimalist laptop comes with the OLED touchscreen option and offers snappy performance, making it more premium than ever.

The next one on the list is Acer Predator Triton 500 SE, which has a roomy 16-inch high-refresh display, and it comes with 12th Generation Intel Core i9 processors and Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 3080 Ti GPU. The top tier gaming laptop offers a 2,560 by 1,600 pixel resolution, a 240Hz refresh rate and a wide-colour-gamut panel with 550 nits of brightness.

TCL, a company known for its TV’s launched itself in the laptop industry with its first laptop called the TCL Book 14 Go. The Windows 11 laptop is packed with 12-hour battery life, 4G LTE connectivity, and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c platform. The entry-level laptop offers a 720p video camera, 4 GB of RAM and 128 GB of built-in storage and stereo speakers, along with a built-in microphone.

Top Audio Gears at CES 2022

CES is not all about big players; sometimes, a few underdogs create hype and amaze everyone. One such company is Noveto, which launched the N1 3D Audio Smart Speaker, a device with built-in Alexa intelligence and Noveto’s proprietary innovative audio beaming technology. The speciality of N1 soundbar is that it offers spatial 3D audio, and only the listener can hear the music.

HyperX Cloud Alpha is one of the most favourite headphones of gamers, and CES 2022 unveiled the wireless version of it with a massive battery said to last for a whopping 300 hours of use, which means you don’t have to worry about charging anymore. We’re not sure whether 300-hours is a marketing strategy or not, but even if it works 50% of what is promised, it would be a great move.

If you’re one of such people who own an iPhone and an Android phone but find it challenging to carry different earbuds for each of them, Belkin has something for you in-store to make your life easier. Belkin launched Belkin SOUNDFORM Immerse Noise-Cancelling Earbuds at CES 2022, which has three mics to shush the world and 8 hours of playtime for the earbuds plus 28 hours in the charging case.

Top Car-tech at CES 2022

BMW knows how to cure boredom, and that’s why they created a colour-changing car, to keep us sane from the boredom of having one coloured vehicle. The BMX iX fully electric car debuted at CES 2022, and it has body panels made from E Ink displays. The vehicle comes with luxurious features, an elegant design, and an impressive estimated 450-480 km range.

Following the footsteps of EV culture, Sony introduced their all-electric vehicle, Sony Vision-S-02. The company stated in a blog post that they will establish an operating company, ‘Sony Mobility Inc.’ in the spring of 2022, which means Sony could take on Tesla with its EV’s. The car allows you to play PlayStation games through a remote connection to a console at home; what more could you ask for in a car?

Top Wearable at CES 2022

CES 2022 was marked as a launching platform for many wearables, but only a few exciting launches stayed with us even after the event. The subtle looking Garmin Venu 2 Plus was launched at the event, an updated version of the Venu 2. The watch is compatible with Siri, Google Assistant, Bixby, and it is the first Garmin watch with a microphone, allowing you to make and take calls from the wrist.

Along with the Venu 2 Plus, Garmin launched a minimalist looking Garmin Vivomove Sport, which comes in various colours, has a five-day battery life, and offers plenty of fitness and health tracking features. Besides Garmin, Skagen launched a special limited edition version of Fossil gen 6 X Razer with three unique watch faces. It has a 1.28-inch AMOLED display, Snapdragon Wear 4100+ and 8GB of storage.

Motorola Launched ‘Moto Watch 100’ Officially with Brand New ‘Moto OS’

The rumoured Motorola Smartwatch, Moto Watch 100, gets official, and for a change, the company waives Wear OS and starts the software journey by launching the company’s first smartwatch that runs on a brand new in-house Moto OS. The surprising change in the operating system will help the smartwatch increase its battery life and deliver up to 14 days of battery life on a single charge, which is far ahead of what Wear OS can provide.

Features

The newly launched Moto OS is claimed to be focused on health as it features preloaded 26 sport modes, including SPO2 tracking, a heart rate monitor, accelerometer and gyroscope, which helps the watch provide fitness results with detailed stats and data. The Moto Watch 100 also track the results of activities and games like basketball, badminton, bike indoor, cricket, snowboard, tennis, and yoga, among others.

Specifications

The Moto Watch 100 features a 1.3-inch circular LCD display with a 360 x 360 pixels resolution and an always-on mode, which is a surprise package. The Moto Watch 100 is 5ATM water-resistant and supports Bluetooth 5.0. The watch comes with a 355mAh battery that takes about an hour to charge fully. It also supports features like GPS, BeiDou, and GLONASS for better navigation and connectivity.

The 45.8g smartwatch is packed in an aluminium casing and measures 42x46x11.9mm. The case of the Moto Watch 100 will be available in two colour variants, Glacier Silver and Phantom Black. Along with the stylish cases, the watch also offers replaceable 20mm straps with various colour options. The smartwatch is compatible with devices running on at least Android 5.0 or iOS 10.0.

Price & Availability

The Moto Watch 100 is listed on the Motorola US website with a price tag of $99.99 (approx. ₹7500) and is available for pre-orders in the US market only. The availability of the watch in other countries and regions, including India, is not yet confirmed, but we expect the company will soon launch the Moto Watch 100 in several other locations outside the US.

Motorola’s Upcoming Smartwatch is Tipped to Feature Waterproof Design & Inbuilt GPS

Back in February, Motorola joined forces with Canadian company eBuyNow to launch a smartwatch, and now, a rumoured smartwatch Moto Watch 100 has leaked in new official-looking renders. An investor presentation between the two companies revealed they’d launch a Motorola branded smartwatch next year, but it seems like they’re ready to tackle the smartwatch soon.

The leaked renders show a premium-looking minimalistic design smartwatch sporting a circular display, two physical buttons on the right side and is said to come with a silicone strap marked with a striped design. The watch is expected to run on Google’s Wear OS and feature Snapdragon Wear 4100. Along with features like heart rate monitoring, inbuilt GPS support and step tracking, the smartwatch is expected to feature a waterproof design.

According to the reports, the smartwatch is designed for a budget audience, but it has a premium feel. The leaked renders show the watch in a black finish, but Motorola may launch the smartwatch in various other colour options and straps. Interestingly, in the month of February, the smartwatch was referred to as the “Moto G Smartwatch”, but according to some reports, it might be another watch from the company which they’re planning to launch in the coming year.

The source suggests the Moto Watch 100 will feature a 1.3-inch circular LCD display with 360×360 pixels resolution and is tipped to measure 42x46x11.9mm. The upcoming budget smartwatch from Motorola packs a 355 mAh battery and comes with Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity.

The smartwatch is also expected to feature a heart rate sensor, gyroscope, accelerometer, SpO2 sensor, sleep tracking, sensor counting and ambient light sensor. Unfortunately, the smartwatch doesn’t come with a rotating bezel, and there’s no official announcement from Motorola about the launch of Watch 100 yet, but we expect to witness a launch soon.

OnePlus unveiled Harry Potter themed Limited Edition Watch in India

Harry Potter film series was everyone’s favourite, and it’s been over a decade since its last release, but the series hasn’t lost its spark. The Harry Potter film series is celebrating its twentieth anniversary this year. To make this memorable for all the fans, Chinese mobile manufacturer, OnePlus has launched the Harry Potter themed limited edition OnePlus Watch.

The Hogwarts-themed special edition watch was launched today in India at an affordable price of Rs. 16,999 with early access sales starting on October 20. The special edition watch is equipped with Harry Potter-themed watch faces and features a circular display. Once you switch on the watch, the iconic Harry Potter logo will appear on the screen.

OnePlus Harry Potter Limited Edition watch comes with a circular 1.39-inch AMOLED display, proprietary OS, connectivity options with other devices such as smartphones and OnePlus TV, always-on display, remote control camera function and two weeks rated battery life. The special edition OnePlus Watch is identical to the original OnePlus Watch, which was announced earlier this year.

The watch has a copper colour design, and the strap is made from vegan leather embellished with Harry Potter branding. The watch also features software tweaks that include six themed watch faces for all four Hogwarts houses – Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Slytherin and Ravenclaw. The case of the Limited Edition watch is said to be corrosion-resistant, and it arrives with Harry’s iconic lightning bolt engraved on it.

The OnePlus watch features Bluetooth v5 connectivity and an IP68 rating along with 5ATM water resistance and comes with more than 110 exercise modes. It also offers health-related features such as tracking footsteps, real-time SpO2 levels, heart rate, stress, and breathing. The watch will be available for sale on OnePlus.in, OnePlus Store app and offline OnePlus Experience stores across the country.

Why the Apple Watch isn’t branded as the iWatch?

Apple recently launched the iPhone 13 lineup, along with several other products, including iPad, iPad Mini and Apple Watch Series 7, in the ‘California Streaming’ virtual launch event. While some people were budgeting out to buy the newly launched Apple products, a group of college-going young intellectual minds started wondering if the “i” prefix has graced Apple’s renowned trademark, then why the Apple Watch isn’t branded as the iWatch?

iMac, iPod, iPhone, and iPad, all of these famous Apple products are named according to a similar pattern except Apple Watch, and every time Apple launches a new model of the Apple Watch Series, the same question arises why it is called as Apple Watch instead of iWatch? Well, by now, a number of Apple enthusiastic people have known about the reason behind it and for the rest, here comes the answer but first, let’s take a quick look at iHistory.

A Little iHistory

When Apple acquired NeXT in 1997, Steve Jobs returned to Apple, taking over the helm of Apple as CEO of the company he co-founded in 1976 with Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne. The company was struggling when he returned and was on the verge of breaking, and then magic happened when Apple released the iMac in 1998. Soon, it became a popular product, and Apple came back on track.

The name iMac was referred to by Ken Segall, a man who worked for Apple’s advertising agency, and after tasting a massive success with iMac, Apple continued using the lowercase “i” prefix for various products including, the first iBook, which was released in 1999, for iPad since 2001, for web-based Apple services- iReview, iTool, iTunes, and for iPhone since 2007.

The launch of the iPhone in 2007 turned out to be revolutionary for the company as it cemented its place in the world of technology, and then Apple started developing its first-ever smartwatch with a would-be plan to name it an iWatch. Apple wasn’t aware of the already ongoing courtroom drama around the name iWatch, and all of it came to Apple as an unexpected and unwanted surprise.

High Voltage iDrama

It all started in June 2007, when a New York-based M.Z. Berger & Co. filed to trademark the iWatch name, which was dragged down by Swiss watchmaker Swatch. The Swiss company created a valid point leading to trademark litigation that the iWatch name would create confusion with Swatch buyers. While in European Union countries, a Dublin-based firm named Probendi has held the rights to the iWatch name since 2008. Their website claims that it is the only entity allowed to use the term iWatch in the European Union and warns to take strict legal action against any company that uses the iWatch name in the EU region.

Later on, in 2012, Fresno-California-based OMG Electronics, which was intended to create a smartwatch, applied for a trademark for the iWatch name before Apple. The application proposal was displeased when Swiss watchmaker Swatch challenged OMG Electronics over the company’s trademark application. At the same time, OMG Electronics sought to raise $100,000 to produce a smartwatch on the crowdfunding site Indiegogo, but unfortunately, it only managed to raise $1434.

Leaving the US struggle behind, Apple applied for a trademark for iWatch in the UK, but again Swiss watchmaker Swatch demonstrated that it had an earlier trademark for iSwatch, which sound almost similar to iWatch and would cause confusion. Apple failed to convince the Intellectual Property Office of the UK and the result was declared in favour of Swatch in Oct. 2014. Further, Apple appealed the decision to the High Court, and this time the result was stated in favour of Apple.

After struggling over the iWatch trademark in the United States and European Union countries, Apple went further to try their fate in China, but to Apple’s lousy luck, the company got to know that in China, nine different companies have held the iWatch trademark. Overall, Apple managed to obtain the iWatch trademark in a number of countries, including Mexico, Japan, Taiwan, and Russia.

However, when Apple unveiled the first-ever smartwatch in 2015, it was branded as Apple Watch because the company failed to secure the iWatch trademark in large segments of the world. Whenever asked in the media about whether it made a bid to buy the iWatch trademark from the current holders as it did with the iPhone and iPad, the company never implemented a straight answer.

Mi Smart Band 6 To Raise The Standards Of Budget Fitness Bands?

While lockdowns are finally being lifted across the whole of India, many people are now considering exercise and fitness seriously into their everyday routine. This is a good time for Xiaomi to launch the MI Smart Band 6, the latest addition to their popular fitness tracker lineup.

The new Mi Smart Band 6 features SpO2 measurement and now has the ability to track more exercises than the Mi Smart Band 5. It is priced at Rs 3,499 in India, but the owners of previous MI Band models can avail of an extra discount of 500, dropping the price to Rs 2,999.

The Mi Smart Band 6 only comes in a black strap, but you can buy different coloured straps to customise your fitness band. The Mi Smart Band 6 looks somewhat identical to its predecessor, the Mi Smart Band 5, but the difference is apparent when the display lights up. While the Mi Smart Band 5 had a small rectangular display, the one on the Mi Smart Band 6 stretches to the edges of the capsule and has very thin bezels at the top and sides.

The underside of the capsule has pins for charging the 125mAh battery in the band. There are sensors for heart rate and SpO2 tracking just right above the charging pins. Since all navigation in the MI Band 6 is touch-based, there are no physical buttons on the band.

The Mi Band 6 is water-resistant up to 5ATM, and can therefore also track swimming. The battery on the Mi Band 6 claims to provide 14 days backup in a single charge. The Mi Band 6 allows quick replies to calls with preset messages. The company also claims that this wearable has 30 different fitness modes and can automatically detect six types of workouts. You can track steps, distance, and sleep on the Mi Smart Band 6 along with SpO2 and stress tracking, as well as menstrual cycle tracking.

Mi Smart Band 6 can last for between 8-10 days with reasonable use, so it is still a good fitness wearable for the price.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Series: New Beginnings For Samsung

Honestly, watches for Android smartphones are not even a bit attractive in terms of features and looks, when compared to what Apple does with its accessories. Who other than Google is to be blamed for not creating a competitor to Apple watch and missing a perfect opportunity.

But I think I might have to change my perspective for the better now. Google and Samsung have joined forces to rebuild the WearOS from the ground up. It seems like Samsung’s Galaxy series of smartwatches is bearing all the weight of the company’s ambitions to produce competitive wearables in the market.

Dubbed ‘WearOS by Samsung’, Samsung Galaxy watch 4 series will be the smartwatches to run the latest WearOS 3 version. I got my hands on one of the Galaxy Watch 4 series and here are my first impressions:

Design and Aesthetics

Samsung is hyping up the latest Galaxy Watch 4 like anything. And honestly, the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic has got one of the most timeless designs ever. It can go perfectly with any outfit you wear, be it formals, casuals, or leisure.

The watch fits perfectly on the wrist and never gives you the impression that you are wearing a smartwatch. The watch 4 series got a slight unexpected upgrade in its screen. The larger version devices now have a 1.4-inch screen running at 450 x 450, while the smaller models have 1.2-inch panels. The watch 4 has a touch-sensitive ring.

This Samsung box includes a 20mm strap which can be swapped later to your convenience.

WearOS 3

Samsung conveniently switched from their Tizen operating system to One UI3, a customised version of Google’s Wear Os 3 that they co-developed.

Unlike the other Wear Os watches, one cannot use the Galaxy Watch 4 with an iPhone, since many of the advanced features, such as ECG function requires a Samsung phone. It has its Galaxy wearable app to pair, and connect, and manage settings.

Battery Life

The W920 Exynos chip in Galaxy watch4 is 20% faster with a 10 % improved graphic performance than their predecessors. The watch feels faster and Much smoother than most wear OS watches, but not quite up to the rapid experience that Apple’s watch series 6 offers.

We found the Galaxy Watch 4 requires a daily charge to power features like an always-on display and routine fitness tracking. The watch works up to 40 hours a day but that might differ with the purpose of use.

Additional Features

The Galaxy Watch 4 series is powered by the Exynos W920 dual-core processor clocked at 1.18GHz. It has 1.5GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage. There is support for Bluetooth 5, dual-band Wi-Fi, NFC, and four satellite navigation systems. The Watch 4 Classic is IP68 rated for water resistance up to 5ATM.

For few days, I’ve been tracking the activities through this watch. The Galaxy Watch 4 provides audible and vibration updates on mileage, and also a brief activity summary every 30 minutes.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 & Galaxy Watch 4 Classic Prices Leaked Ahead Of The Launch

We’ve seen a showdown between the flagship smartwatches Apple Watch Series 6 vs Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 when they were released a couple of years ago, and now it’s time for one more rivalry between two of their future counterparts. Apple Watch Series 7, sporting a new design and top-notch features, is about to launch in India in September, and now, the prices of Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 4 Classic are allegedly roaming around the web.

The South Korean tech giant Samsung will release the Galaxy 4 Series smartwatches along with a few other products next week during its Galaxy Unpacked August 2021 event. Previously, the images of these flagship smartwatches from Samsung were leaked online, and most of us know what these smartwatches look like.

Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 4 Classic smartwatches will sport circular Super AMOLED displays with Corning’s Gorilla Glass DX/DX+ protection. The company hasn’t revealed anything about the processor yet, but both the flagship smartwatches are expected to be powered by the Exynos W920 SoC and will run One UI Watch 3.5 software based on Google’s new iteration of Wear OS.

The Galaxy Watch 4 is tipped to feature a 1.19-inch display in 40mm and 44mm dial sizes, whereas the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic is expected to arrive in three sizes – 42mm, 44mm, and 46mm. The Galaxy Watch 4 Series smartwatches will feature stress monitoring, ECG, GPS, gyro, heart rate monitor, body fat composition measurement and IP68 certification for dust, water, and shock resistance.

The Galaxy Watch 4 Classic is tipped to arrive in three colours and will feature a rotating bezel along with two buttons on its right side. Samsung Galaxy Watch Series 4 smartwatches are tipped to be waterproof up to 50 metres (5ATM). Along with these, the flagship smartwatches will have 1.5GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage.

The Galaxy Watch 4 in the 40mm dial size can be expected to cost around ₹25,000, and the 44mm dial variant is expected to be priced around ₹27,500. Meanwhile, Galaxy Watch 4 Classic is expected to be priced around ₹33,500 for 42 mm, ₹35,000 for 44 mm, and ₹36,100 for the 46 mm variant.

Mi Band 6 Overview: Enhanced Health Indicators

It’s MY band. A band that can keep me health conscious. The way health consciousness has captured the world is interesting. And, why won’t it be considering that one single virus and its constant and notorious mutation has clearly brought frustrations? Now, you just can’t open an e-Commerce store and order some heavy machines to use at home. Hence, you need something lightweight and easy to carry and track your health profile. For this purpose, the new Mi Band 6 can help you out. To know more about this new wristband, Exhibit is ready to take you on a Mi Band 6 overview.

Color Funk & Display

Jony Ive’s perception about colors in the movie JOBS and bringing them into the real world was correct. And, Mi Band 6 correctly follows this principle. This new band can offer you a wide range of color variants (a total of six). So, you can choose the choice that renders the funk quotient through olive, black, blue, orange, yellow, and ivory. All these colors comply with the latest styles. In addition to this, Mi Band 6 has a larger AMOLED display of 326 PPI (50% more than Mi Band 5). This display helps you to set a background theme. Pick a picture that you want to see every day whenever you wear this smart band.

SpO₂ Tracking

Economics tracks inflation in the form of demand and supply. The price of anything can go up if the demand increases or the supply goes down. And, humanity never thought that oxygen could become a part of economics. The way the second wave hit and brought the gigantic catastrophe, you would have understood the importance of oxygen. But, the new Mi Band 6 has taken care of this by providing appropriate biological sensors that can track SpO₂ is commendable.

Breathing When You Sleep

Breathing is important. Don’t you think? Ask Hrithik Roshan, who survived scuba diving in ZNMD. Well, Mi Band 6 has worked a lot on your breathing monitoring. Even when you are sleeping? What? Yeah, this new band can track your breathing during your sleep and evaluate your breathing score.

I Know When My Heart Rate is Pumping More

That’s just amazing, considering how the sensors and other equipment in this gadget can check out what you are doing. Before going to bed, you can check when the heartbeat rate was more compared to other times when it was low. For all these things, you can give credit to its activity intelligence feature.

MY Band is MY Trainer

Ohh Yes. If this is what you are looking for, Mi Band 6 is the perfect option. This new band has acquired the power of 30 fitness modes. If you think of Zumba, HIIT, pilates, etc., you get them here apart from normal exercises. Mi Band 6 can shrink the world of many trainers who are there out on YouTube and other platforms. In addition to this, the technology inducted in this gadget can automatically track your six fitness modes.

Stylish Design, Advanced Health Monitoring System, and Sophistication are the most crucial elements of Mi Band 6.

Water Resistance & Stroke Recognition

Al Pacino, you are no more El classico. Why? Mi Band 6. This new band has a 5 ATM waterproofing rating. What does it mean? It means if you are in Goa, Florida, or Gold Coast, buy this band and get ready for your swimming experience on beaches. Apart from this, it helps to track your swimming time as well due to stroke recognition.

Magnetic Charging

Mi Band 6 comes with magnetic charging. In addition to this, the battery that Mi has added to it is simply commendable. It is because it can have a battery life of 5 days after heavy use. That’s a whopping figure for sure. Get ready to give a standing ovation to this 125mAh Lithium polymer battery.

Launch Date & Price

If you are not a curious cat but a human, you must have started opening a new tab in your browser to check its release date. Well, hurry up. Set a reminder on your smartphone for tomorrow. Ohh! Great. 12 July is the date when this new band will hit the Indian market. But wait? Can price hit you badly? No, not at all. It’s just INR 4490/-.

Mi Band 6 Overview – Conclusion

That is something cool coming out. Well, such a rich set of features can enlarge the eyes of this band’s competitors. So, till the time, nothing new comes out, Mi Band 6 will have the monopoly due to features and traits.

5 Things You Need To Know Before Buying A Smartwatch!

Just a few years ago, people used to walk around malls-showrooms to gaze at luxury watches, some of them were secretly saving money to buy one of the watches, and then the real gangster arrived, in the form of Smartwatches and changed the world of wearables.

With every new launch, their popularity increases, be it fitness or a style statement, and people started looking at smartwatches more than ever since but buying a smartwatch that suits you the best is still a headache. And that’s why I’ve come up with five things you need to know before buying a smartwatch! Roll it out before you spend your hard-earned money on them.

Phone Compatibility & Operating System

All the smartwatches are designed to serve as companions to a smartphone, but compatibility plays a significant role in choosing the right one. For example, if you’re eying for an Apple smartwatch, you should know one thing: Apple Watches only works with iPhones.

So, the first thing you should check is whether the smartwatch you’re planning to buy is compatible with your existing smartphone or not. Furthermore, you should know, there are mainly three types of OS in smartwatches:

WatchOS, which is the operating system used only by the Apple Watch.
Tizen OS, which runs on Samsung Galaxy smartwatches.
WearOS, which belongs to Google and supports Android as well as iPhones devices. To know whether your smartphone is compatible with WearOS, just go to g.co/WearCheck from your smartphone browser.

WearOS by Google works fine with smartwatches from Fossil, LG, Huawei and others. Notably, it works well with iPhones too, but with limited features only. Bottom line, Fitbit smartwatches are also compatible with both Android devices and iPhones.

Display

In our eyes, an average wristwatch enhances into a smartwatch when it substitutes its familiar face and routine hands with a touch screen, and for that matter, the display becomes a crucial factor.

Most smartwatch makers use a colourful LCD screen or AMOLED display, which let you access photos, apps and other content in more elegant colour and tend to be livelier but shortens the battery life. Meanwhile, OLED displays are found in the Apple Watch as well as in the Samsung Galaxy Watch. Some smartwatch makers use OLED displays instead of LCD; it obviously increases the price but unloads an extra weight from your wrist.

Battery Life

A Smartphone’s battery is an essential feature one should inspect before buying a smartwatch as battery life still remains one of the biggest complaints about smartwatches. However, smartwatch makers are trying hard to develop the solution and improve the devices’ efficiency; I hope they’ll soon come up with a good one.

Most Apple Watches and WearOS devices last for two days, while other smartwatches can last five to seven days, but they usually have fewer features and lower-quality displays. So, analyze your everyday usage and basic needs along with battery consumption, then decide which one is better for you.

Features

Preferring a touchscreen smartwatch over a touchless one ultimately depends on one’s choice but opting for a touchscreen has its limitations, as it can be difficult to select items on a smaller touch display. Apple smartwatches land with a dual approach, as they provide a touch display, a digital crown and a side button on the right side, which makes them one of the most relevant watches. If you’re buying a smartwatch with WearOS, then be prepared to spend some extra time swiping to get to other apps.

Some smartwatches can serve as an extension of your phone, while the rest are marketed as health-focused devices, like the Fitbit Versa 3 and Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 3. If fitness and daily activities are on top of your list, you should look for which smartwatch offers a heart rate monitor, GPS (to track your runs), and sleep monitoring features.

Furthermore, look for customized and pre-loaded apps to get the most out of your smartwatch. However, keep in mind that using GPS will have a substantial impact on battery life. Many smartwatches have NFC chips inside, which means you can use them to pay for your things; Apple has Apple Pay, whereas WearOS has Android Pay (only available in a few smartwatches). Also, Samsung has its self developed mobile payment system, Samsung Pay, which works on all of its newest models; consider all these features before buying a smartwatch.

Most smartwatch makers offer a customization option, choice of straps and swappable bands to keep you updated with fashion and style. For example, Apple smartwatches allow you to choose your preferred dial shape, band colour and face colour before purchasing.

Watches like the Apple Watch Series 4 or later offer a fall detection feature, where if the watch senses you take a hard fall and don’t get up, then a pre-selected person and the emergency services will be informed automatically, caretaker at your wrist.

Pricing

The best smartwatches generally cost between ₹25,000 to ₹45,000, while mid-range smartwatches cost between ₹10,000 to ₹20,000. With high price comes advanced fitness, music and communications features, and some of them come with onboard GPS, music storage, and NFC, which budget devices generally lack.

If you’re looking for an entry-level smartwatch, companies like Realme have a very affordable smartwatch range that starts under ₹4,000. Also, Boat is coming up with its Xplorer edition, which offers plenty of features on a pocket-friendly budget. Ultimately, everything depends on your preference, choice and, of course, the budget.