This year saw some exciting gadget releases from top boys like Samsung and Apple and smaller but competitive ones like Fossil and TicWatch.
Apple released their much-awaited Apple watch 7, and it did not disappoint. The same goes for Samsung’s Watch 4 released in late August 2021.
All these are discussed in this guide, plus more exciting and much-talked-about upcoming smartwatches.
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The Apple Watch Series
Release Status and Availability
Released and available online, Apple stores and some third-party sellers
Launch/Release Date
Launched on September 14 and released for pre-order on October 15, 2021
Key changes
Bigger Screen and new watch faces, battery life
Price
Between $500 to $750 depending on the seller and time of purchase
Launch and Availability
As we’ve come to expect with Apple, the Apple watch series 7 was launched alongside new Apple products on the September 14th event.
The Apple Watch 7 can be seen as an upcoming watch in this context because its availability is a bit limited, especially in third-party stores and some foreign markets.
However, diehard Apple watch fans looking for the perfect holiday gift in 2021 should consider it.
Apple Watch Series 7 Notable Features and Changes
As most top reviewers and talking heads have already noted, the watch 7 has a lot of similarities to its immediate predecessor, the series 6.
However, the new Apple Watch 7 does have some notable differences and upgrades key among them being the bigger screen that has a curvier edge, new colors, and a noticeable speed difference.
A Bigger, Brighter Screen on the new Apple Watch
Apple Watch 7 comes with a screen that is twenty percent bigger than the Apple watch series 6’s display for smaller and bigger models.
The bigger version now has a 1.9-inch display or 45 mm by 38 mm, while the smaller version of the Apple Watch 7 has a 41mm by 35mm display.
The Apple Watch Series 7 also has smaller bezels with a curvier display making for better viewing even at certain angles.
By reducing the bezels, Apple managed to increase the size of the display substantially without increasing the size of the watch case much. The display is also brighter and noticeably crisper than what was on the watch 7.
Faster Charging and Good Battery Life
While not much has changed in terms of battery, there is a notable improvement in the new watch charging speed thanks to Apple’s new and improved charging puck. Apple watches have never been and may never be on Fitbit levels; they are beefy watches with a heavy operating system and third-party apps that drain battery life.
Battery life on smartwatches is usually pretty good. According to Apple, you can expect a solid 18 hours of battery life from the new watch, although some users get more. The battery life varies depending on how often you activate the display, the apps you use regularly, and other usage-specific factors. To get the best out of your watch, it is recommended to put it on charge when you go to sleep every day.
The most significant improvement in power on the new watch 7 is the charging time, reportedly thirty to forty percent faster than the previous generation. This is thanks to the new USB charging cable and charging puck that come with the new watch. The new watch can go from zero to a hundred percent in under fifty minutes when charging with the new charging cable.
A Slightly Redesigned Body and Buttons
There are subtle but welcome changes to the body of the new watch that is still considered an upcoming smartwatch due to its limited availability in the market. The edges are slightly more rounded, and the bigger display also bleeds to the edge more. At the same time, the buttons, especially the snooze button, are easier to use than the previous generation watch.
At the same time, the new smartwatch from Apple still maintains its predecessor’s dust and water resistance capabilities with IP6X dust resistance and WR50 water resistance. Yes, you can dive up to a depth of fifteen meters with the watch 7 on your wrist.
Improved Processor, more refined Operating system
The changes to speed and performance of the operating system are not very big on the new Apple watch, but they are noticeable, especially for long-term Apple watch users. The new watch comes with a slightly faster S7 64-bit dual-core processor and Watch OS 8. These two combined improve the performance of native apps and make it easier to use heavier third-party apps.
The new Apple Watch 7 packs new software and cosmetic changes. For instance, the new watch comes with exclusive features (modular max, Nike bound face for Nike versions, and contour face). These new faces, especially the contour face and modular max, are made to advantage the new Apple Watch 7’s large, curvier display.
The new watch’s software also packs notable improvements and features, such as the ability to detect when you are riding a bicycle so that it can alert you to start tracking automatically. It can also do many other fancy detections and AI-assisted things like detecting when you fall and offering to call for medical assistance.
GPS and Tracking Capabilities
The GPS sensor on this smartwatch is pretty mature at this point, allowing accurate tracking and location monitoring for those who need that kind of control. Of course, there are so many other things you can use the tracking feature on this smartwatch for. For instance, it does track your walking, running, driving, and cycling steps.
The watch can also help you keep track of your movements using its well-integrated location tracking feature and Apple’s renowned mapping system. The heart rate sensor and other body measuring capabilities also allow tracking your bodily organs and overall health. However, you are advised to regard the Apple smartwatch as a health device for obvious reasons not subject to this guide.
Fitness Features
Apple Fitness Plus
The new watch comes with new fitness features under Apple’s fitness plus. You can now track and plan numerous fitness activities like running, daily workouts, yoga, etc. The watch’s fitness app provides new fitness workouts every week and is relatively easy to use on the more prominent display.
Automatic Workout Detection
The new watch has an automatic workout detection that improves your fitness game. It can automatically detect different fitness workouts like cycling using AI.
Apple Watch 7- Real Life Usage
Larger Watch, Bigger Screen
In terms of real-life usage, the large watch size is quite hard to ignore, especially for those with smaller wrists or if you are used to wearing a lighter wristwatch. However, the larger display, which is also brighter, especially from an angle, makes it easier to use the Apple Watch series seven.
Large Display Advantages
You can fit a lot of stuff on the display than you could on the Apple Watch Series 6, thanks to the added display real estate. At the same time, viewing and reading content like notifications, text messages, tracking info, viewing images, and even replying with short texts is way easier on the new Apple Series 7. These advantages may make some users ignore that the new watch is quite big and noticeably bulkier than their previous one.
Improved Always on Display
The Apple watch series 7’s always-on display is also seventy percent brighter, as some early users and celerity reviewers like Marques Brownlee have pointed out. This means you can glance at the time at an angle as you would on a normal wristwatch without having to make full eye contact with the screen.
The new improvements in this new Apple watch’s software are great but not groundbreaking, given that most of them can be added to previous watches with an update. However, the smoother operating system and new exclusive faces are worth a look.
Best in The Market
The new Apple Watch 7 maintains the quality in terms of looks, ease of use, and performance that easily make it the best smartwatch, if not the best smartwatch in the market. However, as mentioned earlier, there are key features that many would have expected to make into the Apple Watch 7 that didn’t.
Looking Ahead- The Upcoming Apple Watch Series 8
Future Apple smartwatches are rumored to have new features and some notable design changes based on rumors, render images, and a general understanding of Apple, current design philosophy and direction. For this reason, let’s look ahead at the future smartwatch from Apple- the Apple Watch 8.
Not Many Leaks!
As expected, Apple is relatively tight-lipped regarding what to expect on the next, and future version of their flagship wearable device- the Apple watch seven. Don’t expect to find authentic leaked images of the future watch anywhere’ Apple never leaks images. However, it is widely expected that the future watch might have the following changes and improvements:
Flatter Body Design
Recent design changes on other Apple products like the iPhone have shifted towards a flatter, more refined design philosophy. The same was expected for their newest and upcoming smartwatch, but it did not happen with the Apple watch 7 maintaining that old curved edge look.
Based on rumors, third-party images, and speculation, it is expected that the future smartwatches from Apple will adopt the flat design as the other devices in the Apple lineup. However, this is just speculation, and there was no indication from the last Apple event on how the future Apple watch series 8 will look or feel. Curiously, the curved edge screen and rounded edges were the highlights of this release.
New Hardware sensors on upcoming Apple watches
For the longest time, tech journalists and other talking heads in this space were saying the upcoming smartwatch from Apple would feature new hardware sensors; a glucometer, screen temperature, and blood pressure sensors, to be specific. However, these two features did not feature in this latest release but are expected to be added to future smartwatches from Apple.
Why New Hardware Sensors?
The current Apple Watch has well-matured hardware sensors such as blood oxygen, gyroscope, ambient light, and accelerometer. It will be a welcome update to have the new sensors on the future smartwatch, given how long it took Apple to improve this aspect.
It’s still early days for the next smartwatch from Apple, given that Apple tends to release new versions towards the end of September every year. However, the current one, which is still considered an upcoming release in many markets, remains one of the best smartwatches you can buy today. Its closest competitor and also recently updated is the Samsung Watch 4, which shall be discussed next.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4
Release Status and Availability
Released and available in some markets
Launch/Release Date
August 2021
Key changes/Updates
New software updates (Wear OS/One UI watch 3), slimmer design, better battery life, integration with Google, blood pressure sensor, ECG, virtual rotating bezel.
Price
The price is $199 to $220 depending on where and when you buy.
The New Samsung Watch Is a Leader!
The Samsung Galaxy watch 4 makes it to this list as one of the best smartwatches currently available. The flagship Galaxy watch 4 was released around the same time its main competitor- the Apple watch 7 was released- and is now available to buy online and in stores where Samsung smart devices are sold.
It’s still early days to talk about or speculate on the upcoming smartwatches from Samsung. Still, there is sufficient information, leaks, unauthenticated images, and rumors out there that are worth exploring. One cannot be sure when Samsung will release their upcoming smartwatches to replace the current lineup, but mid to late August in 2022 is a close bet.
The New Samsung Watch- Review
First things first, though, looking at the current release that is rightfully still relatively fresh and yet to hit many markets is essential before discussing the future. Here is a more detailed look at the Galaxy watch 4; what is new, what has not changed, and what is expected in its future.
Notable Features and Changes
As with the Apple Watch 7 series, many reviewers have also expressed some disappointment with the changes, although on a lesser scale, about the Galaxy Watch 4. “The only thing we are excited about the new watch from Samsung is the software features added through tight integration with Wear OS,” remarked a famous tech Journalist before the launch of the galaxy watch 4.
However, if we are to be fair, Samsung seemed to have done a lot of work on this new smartwatch, and the results are there for everyone to see and experience. For instance, collaborating with Google to bring Wear OS into their smartwatch means better integration with Android going forward. With this in mind, here are some of the notable changes and new features on the galaxy watch 4:
A New Operating system- Wear 0S
Samsung has become one of the first top-tier manufacturers to incorporate Wear OS into their wearable devices- the new galaxy watches 4, Samsung galaxy Watch active, and Samsung Galaxy Watch SE. This is perhaps one of the most significant updates to the Galaxy watch and a welcome change going by early reviews.
- What is this New OS?
Wear OS is a mature wearable tech operating system by Google that can be found on many smartwatches like the Google Pixel watch and third manufacturers. However, for a long time, Samsung and other major manufacturers have given it a wide berth until now.
Even though it’s not a complete change, the new Samsung Galaxy Watch 4, Samsung galaxy watch active, and Watch SE integrates the Google OS with One UI watch 3 on top of the OS.
The switch to the world’s most used wearable device OS was done with the help of Google. It’s not exactly the pure OS experience you might get on, say, a Google Pixel watch, but it’s pretty impressive that they have chosen this path.
Better Android Integration
Wear OS has generally better integration with Android, which Samsung has struggled with in the past. It also opens up the new Samsung Galaxy Watch 4, Samsung Galaxy Watch active, and Watch SE to a wider array of third-party applications.
Users will no longer be stuck with the few third-party apps that they had access to on Tizen OS with Samsung Galaxy watch 2, Samsung galaxy active watch 2, and other older devices.
That said, some new hardware sensors like the blood pressure sensor can only be accessed using a Samsung phone. Integration with non-Samsung Android devices is admittedly not what most hard-core Wear OS fans had been expecting when they heard of the Google- Samsung collaboration for watch 4.
Better, Brighter Screens with Virtual Rotating Dials
The Samsung watch 4 is one of the best smartwatches in the market right now in terms of display and looks. Samsung has always been a leader in the manufacture of screens, and all their smartwatches, including older ones like galaxy watch active 2 had Super AMOLED displays.
The 1.4-inch display on the new watch 4 has a super bright Super AMOLED display with vivid colors. The screen on the new flagship watch and galaxy watch active also has Gorilla glass DX + and a reasonably good-looking always-on display. The manual rotating dial has been replaced with a software-based virtual dial on the Samsung.
New Hardware Sensors
The new Samsung galaxy watch 4 also adds some sensors, like the barometer being unavailable in close competitors. It has an accelerometer, a barometer, a heart rate sensor, and an integrated gyro.
Better Sound and Other Improvements
Besides the noticeable design changes like the smoother, lighter bodies and larger buttons, the Samsung watch 4 has noticeably better sound and new faces. The Samsung galaxy watch 4 is a significant improvement to its predecessors like the galaxy watch active 2 in terms of performance. It is powered by the faster Cortex -A55 CPU and a Mali-G68 graphics processor.
Looking Ahead- The Upcoming Samsung galaxy watch 5
As mentioned earlier, it’s still early days to start talking about the upcoming Swatch 5 that may be released towards the end of 2022. However, it is rumored- or expected that upcoming watches will have better integration with Android thanks to Google OS and additional sensors.
Samsung might offer us the best wear OS integration. The current best wear OS integration is available on the Google Pixel watch.
It is not expected that the new Samsung devices will have significant design changes, although one cannot be sure what Samsung may be cooking. More importantly, you may see different versions of the Samsung watch series- especially targeting the mid-tier to low-end market besides the Samsung galaxy watch 4 series, much like what they currently offer on the smartphone segment.
Fitbit Versa 3
The Fitbit Versa 3- announced late 2021 towards the end of September also makes it to this list as one of the best smartwatches to consider if shopping for a new smartwatch this holiday. Its target userbase is those who want good exercise tracking and generally have an active lifestyle.
There have been many improvements to the Fitbit lineup ever since this unknown manufacturer entered the smart wearable space in 2009 with the Fitbit classic. Back then, their disruptive new activewear smartwatch had basic features and wasn’t a looker going by the images we can find online.
Much Improved Fitness Watch
The newest version- the Fitbit Versa 3 has noticeably better specifications and stylistic improvements that make it one of the best smartwatches out there. The new watch is currently being sold online through the official Fitbit website and third-party sellers.
Notable Changes/ New Features
New Color Variations
The new Fitbit Versa 3 comes in various colors and shades like midnight/ soft gold, black/ aluminum, thistle/ gold, among others. Going by the images we’ve seen and real-life devices, the new smartwatch is quite stunning in terms of looks and overall build quality.
Built-In GPS
One fundamental improvement on the new Fitbit Versa 3 is the built-in GPS sensor. Now you don’t have to connect to your phone to track locations or use the maps on the watch. The GPS sensors are built into the smartwatch.
Better Display and Watch faces
The new Fitbit has a better, brighter display than its predecessor. This was an expected improvement thanks to the numerous leaked images of the watch before its official launch.
Industry-Leading Water Resistance
The Fitbit Versa 3 has industry-leading water resistance, an expected feature given its target users. You can dive up to a depth of 50 meters with it on your wrist. The design and build quality also make it a good choice for those with an active lifestyle.
Battery Life and Software
The Fitbit Versa 3 has long battery life. It can last you up to six days on a single charge. You only need two-three hours to charge it. In terms of software, the new Fitbit smartwatch has one of the fastest interfaces in the market and an excellent operating system.
It also has the best heart rate sensors in its class, considering the price. To extend your battery life, ensure the device’s brightness settings are low and apps well configured.
Other Exciting Upcoming Smartwatches
There are still plenty of new smartwatches that you should be looking forward to in 2021, especially if you are thinking about holiday tech gifts. Here are some of them:
The Moto Watch 100
To be released for orders in early December, this brand new, affordable smartwatch from Motorola of all companies is worth a look. If published and leaked images are anything to go by, the Moto Watch 100 will be worth every penny. It’s also rumored to come with a beefy battery for better battery life Plus GPS.
TicWatch Pro 3
This one has already been launched and may be available in some markets. Mobvoi’s flagship smartwatch is always a good bargain considering its price and features.
All in all, there are many reasons you should be excited about when it comes to smartwatches in 2021 and beyond.
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