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A lot of newfangled stuff you can do with a smartphone seems like it has a limited utility. But I have to admit, paying for your take-out with your watch — never reaching into a pocket or purse for a wallet, or even a phone — is just dang cool. Starting today you can do it with Google Pay in ten new countries, mostly in Europe.
Fossil's Gen 6 watches are up for pre-order, but not with the software you want
They launch in September starting at $300
A lot of people were anticipating Fossil's Gen 6 smartwatch. As only the second watch on the market confirmed to run the new Wear OS 3.0, and the first without heavy integration with Samsung's existing software, it seemed like a great option for those who wanted a more "pure" experience. Unfortunately there's a pretty huge asterisk on the release of the now-confirmed hardware: it'll be running the older Wear OS 2.0 when it launches in September.
Amazfit's bestselling smartwatch is nearly half off today
You don't want to miss out on this Amaz(ing)fit deal
It's tough to find that perfect smartwatch for your wrist, especially with the Apple Watch single-handedly dominating the wearable market. Thankfully, there are plentiful of other decent smartwatches that won't lure you into Apple's proverbial walled garden, including Amazfit's bestselling GTS watch. It's an excellent companion that screams premium at every angle, and you can snag one for $80 at B&H — nearly half off its $140 MSRP.
RedMagic's new Watch is a lot like the OnePlus Watch, only $60 less
It's a low-power fitness tracker: less eSports, more real sports
RedMagic has a new smart watch for you to check out, and surprisingly, it has nothing to do with eSports: it's more focused on actual sports and fitness. It uses a round OLED display, a super-long battery life, has a low price, and it eschewed Wear OS or any other established platform... Wait a second, didn't we just do this one? I feel like we just did this one.
Fossil's first Wear OS smartwatch with LTE is a Verizon exclusive
The Fossil Gen 5 LTE is coming this spring
Fossil Group has been Google's main partner with Wear OS for years, producing dozens of watches under a handful of different brands. The company's main flagship watch is the Fossil Gen 5, which is nearing two years old. Fossil didn't announce a Gen 6 line at this year's CES show, but there is a new LTE version of the Gen 5 coming this spring.
OnePlus is open to using Wear OS in future smartwatches
OnePlus CEO says Wear OS "definitely has room to improve"
OnePlus has been playing with the idea of producing a smartwatch for years, and a few months ago, it seemed to finally be happening. Even though the plans were reportedly delayed in October after a corporate shake-up, OnePlus CEO Pete Lau has now mentioned the project in an interview.
Smart home company Wyze has been rapidly expanding its product lineup over the past few months, with new internet-connected sprinklers, vacuums, thermostats, and third-gen Wyze Cams. Wyze released its first wearable device last year, the unimpressive Wyze Band, and now the company is working on a full-blown smartwatch.
Oppo tipped to release an international version of its smartwatch with Wear OS
You'll probably want to consider it if you want an Apple Watch copycat with Google's operating system
Back in March, Chinese manufacturer Oppo announced its first smartwatch, sporting a design similar to the one of an Apple Watch. The device, called the Oppo Watch, was exclusively meant to be sold on the Chinese Market and ran an in-house Android-based OS. However, a new promotional video seems to point the company is about to release a refreshed version of the product that will ship with Wear OS.
Blood pressure monitoring now live on Samsung Galaxy Watch Active2
Only available in Korea, but likely coming to the US soon
It was a only a few months ago that the South Korean government authorized Samsung's Health Monitor app. It's a tool that allows Samsung Galaxy Watch Active2 users to measure and diagnose their blood pressure wherever, whenever. Today the app has officially launched, exclusive to Watch Active2 users in South Korea.
Bixby comes to Samsung Gear S3 smartwatches ahead of S-Voice shutdown
I guess Bixby is probably better than not having a voice assistant?
Samsung's smartwatches are one of the better choices when it comes to the Android side of wearables. The company released its Gear S3 watch back in 2016 to solid reviews, and it has kept owners on their feet with new updates since then. Last year, the S3 received an update to Samsung's One UI, and now it looks like a new update, System Update 7, is rolling out.
Samsung Galaxy Watches will soon be able to read your blood pressure
Exclusive to the Galaxy Watch Active2 in Korea at first, and will require a calibration cuff
Samsung has been working on adding blood pressure measurements to its wearables for a while. It launched a limited test of that feature for the original Watch Active back in 2019, and now, about a year later, the company has announced that the South Korean government has authorized its brand-new Health Monitor app. It's capable of taking blood pressure with nothing but the Watch Active2 (plus some calibration help from a traditional cuff) and will be available in the country in the third quarter of 2020.
Wyze detailed the timeline of its upcoming smart home products last week, including the Wyze Band—a wearable that functions as a fitness tracker as well as allowing you to control your Wyze products from your wrist in the form-factor of the Fitbit Charge 3. Now, additional details have come to light thanks to some information in the public beta app.
Google's Wear OS platform is in a bit of a weird place. The operating system itself is still being periodically updated with new features and improvements, like the Tiles function that was released in May, but the third-party app library is still minimal, and Qualcomm has been slow to improve the underlying hardware. Still, Wear OS isn't going anywhere, and the closest thing to a flagship watch is the new fifth-generation Fossil Q lineup.As with previous generations, Fossil is manufacturing a handful of different styles and bands, but they're all the same on the inside. There are only a handful of minor improvements over last year's Fossil Sport, but those changes drastically cut down on the buggy behavior and jittery animations that Wear OS is known for.The end result is that the Fossil Q Gen 5 is the best Wear OS smartwatch you can buy, but the high introductory price and stiff competition mean it's not the best choice for everyone.
The Fossil Gen 5 is currently one of the best Wear OS smartwatches you can get if you want to invest in Google's vision for wearables. Only about three months after the initial release, it's already heavily discounted on Amazon. You can save $90 on the Carlyle Stainless Steel and the more feminine Julianna Stainless Steel variants of the watch as they're down to just $205.Our own Corbin Davenport says Fossil's fifth-gen watches showcase Wear OS at its best, even if the hardware is fairly standard for most modern wearables equipped with Google's OS: The device comes with a Snapdragon Wear 3100, 1GB of RAM, and 8GB of storage. However, Fossil managed to optimize the watch so animations are smoother and apps open more quickly compared to most other Wear OS devices. You can even go for about two days on a single charge.Keep in mind that Google's watch operating system is not necessarily the best out there for everyone, and some problems might require the company to rethink its software considerably. If you really want a Wear OS device though, this is the one to get.
Hybrid smartwatches are so hot right now. If Fossil's latest entry into the product category doesn't excite you, perhaps a similar model from Withings will - especially since it's on sale for $60 below the regular price.
[Update: 4G can now be activated] Mobvoi launches a revamped version of the TicWatch Pro with 4G/LTE
Wear OS smartwatches are seen as sub-par compared to the competition, mainly because most of them still use outdated processors or lack key features. With the TicWatch Pro, Mobvoi managed to design one of the most attractive intelligent timepieces powered by Google's OS on the market. However, despite its good selling points, the product lacked LTE connectivity, which prevented owners from using all their watch's features on the go. Thankfully, the manufacturer is announcing the TicWatch Pro 4G/LTE, which builds up on its predecessor's specs and adds 4G functionality on top, confirming the leak we reported last month.
Samsung unveiled its latest mainstream smartwatch, the simply-named Galaxy Watch, late last year. It was a decent wearable, but fairly pricey at the time ($300), and it lacked MST support in Samsung Pay.The newer health-focused Galaxy Watch Active was announced alongside the Galaxy S10, and it's definitely a more attractive wearable for most people. It's less expensive and physically smaller, while retaining excellent battery life.The Galaxy Watch Active is one of the best smartwatches you can buy right now, but Samsung definitely cut a few corners — including dropping one of Tizen's best features.
At a press conference during Mobile World Congress in Barcelona today, Nubia unveiled what is supposedly a finished version of its Alpha concept device that it first showed off during IFA in September last year. While it may look like a funky smartwatch with a strange, elongated screen, Nubia insists it's actually a smartphone that you can wear on your wrist. Because that's a thing we all want, obviously.
Health tracking has never been a top focus for Samsung's smartwatches, but that changes today. Samsung unveiled a slew of new wearable products today, including a sleeker version of last year's Galaxy Watch — the fittingly-named Galaxy Watch Active.
Huawei's latest smartwatch, the Watch GT, has been out in overseas markets for quite some time now. However, it's only just made its way to US shores. Amazon pre-orders for the $199.99 Watch GT Sport and $229.99 Watch GT Classic are up now, with the release date marked as February 19th.