Where does the smartwatch fit in as far as life-invading technology goes? Is it a device meant to complement your smartphone; echoing alerts whilst providing both quick access to information as well as marginally contributing to the inconveniences of a digital life, or a fitness tracking device to help you live one healthier? It’s a fashion statement surely—just look at the fancy watch faces, dials and strap accessories, minimalist UX and design sensibilities that scream “innovative-yet-classic”.
In the end, does one turn merely into a piece of jewellery like your uncle’s Omega Seamaster (presumably seldom used for deep sea diving as “intended”), or a daily workhorse (once again, as intended)? All we know is that the world is buying fewer smartwatches than before, but there are some good options for those of us still looking for one.
Pebble Time Steel
Let’s open with the original smartwatch. Pebble seemed to recognise that battery life was important way before anyone else. Android and Apple smartwatches can barely make it through a day, while Pebble’s e-paper powered devices made it through days of heavy use. The Time Steel will make it through a whole week at least (battery rated at 10 days) without requiring a charge. The Time Steel isn’t a particularly cool looking device, but the E-paper display combined with the battery life, 30m water resistance and all-round solid build quality make it a decent option.
Where to buy: Amazon.in
Price: Rs.11,999 – Rs.13,599
Samsung Gear S2
With the public release of Android Wear 2.0 being pushed to 2017, it appears that Droid fanboys have to make to with the current state of things (as with the latest versions of the smartphone operating systems). The Samsung Gear S2’s rotating bezel, display, and better-than-average battery life are all solid positives. It’s a cut above the rest of the Android smartwatch competition with some slick design and innovative engineering. It certainly helps if you have an accompanying (non-explosive) Samsung smartphone for optimum effect, but other Android phones will do as well (just not as nicely). It’s still a little thin on apps, but that’s a problem with the ecosystem in general and not the Gear 2 itself. Overall, a solid option if you’re looking at Android wrist companion.
Where to buy: Amazon.in
Price: Rs.26,999
Apple Watch Series 2
If you’re the sort who gets angry at people calling Apple’s wrist devices “iWatches”, this is the product for you. Not to be confused with “season 2” or “part deux”, the Apple Watch Series 2’s in-built GPS, optimised operating system, 50m water resistance and stunning display truly set it apart from the rest of the pack. There’s not much improvement in terms of battery life, however, so you’re probably going to have to charge this thing every day after rigorous swimming, gym-ing and other outdoor activities.
Oh, and you can still use it to provide canned responses to messages, read your email and all of that. If you’re not a lazy slob, you’re likely to get more out the Apple Watch Series 2 than the rest of us lazy slobs. It’s pretty clear that the goal with successive iterations of this device is to help everyone lead a healthier life (the Nike+ version is a good example of this), and if used as intended and not a piece of jewellery, that’s exactly what you’re getting.
Where to buy: Amazon.in
Price: Rs.27,500
Moto 360 (2nd Gen)
Why would anybody recommend the Moto 360 at all? Well, because of the lethal combination of classic looks and basic smartwatch functionality—nothing else, really! When it comes to smartphones, outside of Google’s own Nexus (and now Pixel) series of phones, Moto has always delivered the closest experience to what vanilla Android could deliver, free of bloatware and clutter. The Moto 360, similarly, offers the quintessential barebones Android wear experience, albeit in a stylish package.
Keep in mind, however, that the watch’s middling battery life and limited suite of applications are a disadvantage, but there are noticeable improvements over the first generation models, including a better display and improved UX. Just don’t go swimming wearing it on your wrist.
Where to buy: Flipkart.com
Price: Rs.19,999
Huawei Watch
If you’re looking for the best-looking set of Android wear watches, you need not look further than Huawei’s products. They look great, are uber-comfortable, and feature sapphire crystal displays often found only on luxury watches. They’re basically going to do what other Android wear watches are going to do, and as a result, there’s nothing special about the software. But it’s all about the aesthetics with Huawei, and the sheer variety of options on offer. The lack of GPS and average battery life (24 hours on a single charge) are downers, but the IP67 rating means, you can occasionally withstand a test of the elements.
It’s all about the aesthetics, however, and if its looks you’re after, you can’t do much better for a smartwatch than the Huawei Watch.
Where to buy: Amazon.com
Price: Rs.22,500 approx (incl. shipping + duty)
Garmin Vivomove
Simple, minimalistic, neat and utilitarian are some of the words I would use to describe Garmin’s Vivomove. Treading the fine line between smartwatch and fitness tracker, the Vivomove combines both to great effect. What set it apart? The Vivophone runs on a regular coin batter which lasts up to a year, syncs with both iOS and Android, is waterproof and it’s the most modern looking smartwatch of the whole lot thanks to its minimalist design sensibilities.
It can come off as more watch than smartwatch with its activity metres visible on the watch-face (a target activity metre and an idle “warning” metre which fills up red if you sit on your behind a lot). Sync it with a smart device of your choice by simply tapping on the crown.
Downsides include sync issues and lack of advanced features, but for a barebones, stylish smart device, you can’t do much better than the Garmin Vivomove.
Where to buy: Amazon.in
Price: Rs.10,800 – Rs. 19,990
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