Wearable tech is one of the hottest trends in tech industry right now, and the smartwatch is leading the wearable movement at the moment. In fact, in just the past week, five notable tech companies have each launched or updated their own smartwatch.
Samsung Gear S
Announced yesterday at Samsung’s AFI event, Samsung Gear S is the sixth smartwatch launched by the company in the past 12 months. Featuring a two-inch screen and integrated 3G SIM-card support, the Gear S is not only the biggest smartwatch on the market, but also the only one that could function independently. However, some have voiced concern that its bulky design could hinder mass consumer adoption.
Sony SmartWatch 3
Sony is also trying to stay relevant in the wearables game with its new Sony SmartWatch 3. The new model runs the Android Wear system, and is fully integrated with Sony’s Lifelog Android app, which tracks everything from music played to sleep stats, enabling the completely “quantified self”.
Asus ZenWatch
Asus, the world’s fifth-largest PC vendor, entered the smartwatch battle royale earlier this week with its new ZenWatch. Mostly a standard companion piece, ZenWatch features a unique Wellness app that measures your “relaxation levels” and provides tips on how to improve your relaxation score.
LG G Watch R
Most smartwatches on the market right now feature rectangular screens, so it’s refreshing to see Korean manufacturer LG come up with a circular design that mimics the shape of a real wristwatch for its G Watch R. Although a substantial improvement over the original G Watch, it shares a similar design to the Moto 360, released 2 month ago by Motorola, and pales in comparison in terms of primary specs.
Meta M1
Big names in tech aren’t the only ones jumping on the smartwatch wagon: Meta Watch, a company born from former Fossil engineers, has jreleased the Meta M1, a smartwatch that features a cool, retro analog chronograph design. Made with premium materials, the M1 only offers limited functions (monochromic screen; no tracking or apps) but prides itself on its deluxe quality. And last week, Swatch announced that it has started to work on its own smartwatch, set to launch in early 2015.
Of course, all these new smartwatches could be completely overshadowed by Apple’s “iWatch”, widely speculated to be revealed next Tuesday. Rumored to feature a flexible display covered by sapphire glass, the iWatch might just be the latecomer that upends the whole game. So get your popcorn ready—the fight over the nascent smartwatch market is only just starting.
